Was feeling a little down the other day and this thought popped into my head. “It would be real nice if I could get a big honking hug from Brian Murray.”

I really miss my friends in San Diego. Life always just seemed happier, more care free, less complicated back then. And that’s how I feel moments should be lived.

Unlike here in Malaysia, hugging was a natural custom that was practiced in SD. We would hug when we greeted each other, we would hug when we said good bye, we would hug to just say “Hey, how’s it goin’?” And I’m not talking about the sort of lame hugs high society gives each other with the air kisses. I’m talking about big manly hugs here, the sort that gets exchanged in battle after victory.

Upon leaving Amphibia Digital here in Malaysia, I walked around to give everyone a hug, and it was the most awkward experience. Every time I moved in to deliver a hug, I got a quizzical look, sort of a “What is this guy doing?” expression. And the embrace always ended up feeling forced, their bodies unbending, stiff like corpses gone into rigor mortis.  Compared to some of the guys I hugged on my final day, Frankenstein would probably rank as cuddly.

I’ve always felt that hugs are a bridge between two people’s souls, a connection that allowed one to share their happy moments, and diffuse their unhappy ones. Joy is always many fold sweeter when shared, if only with one person. And it is the same with the burden of sadness.  It becomes many fold lighter when shared, if only with one person. Almost like in a ‘two hands make light work’ kinda way.