So I was sitting in the doctors waiting rooms yesterday and a man shuffled in with a walking stick. He sat down next to me and I could feel from his energy that he was very distressed. He asked the receptionist for a glass of water and his voice was shaky. I asked him if he was okay and he said, Im very anxious. I suffer from anxiety. I told him that its so common for people to suffer from anxiety, and that the world is a difficult place right now. He was about to open a newspaper emblazoned with headlines about ISIS and Australian security needing to ramp up, so I gently suggested that reading the newspaper might not be the best thing for anxiety. I was going to look for the cartoons, he said meekly. So then I put my hand on his back and I started to talk gently to him about taking some deep breaths and feeling his breath in his body, and he started to breath, and his shoulders relaxed a little. I was overwhelmed with wanting to actually give him a long hug, because I had this deep sense that this was a man who has not been touched by anyone for a long time. As I rubbed his back, he sort of leaned into me, like he was looking for somewhere to rest. I had to go in to see my doctor soon after that, but I wonder how many people are walking around, lost, lonely, anxious and in need of a hug? Sometimes I think I would love to be a professional hugger. Thinking these thoughts as we move into Jewish New Year, and am setting an intention to be more mindful of the pain of strangers and to hug random people more often.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 20:06:30 +0000
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