Coming and Going

Other than with my children, I'm not a particularly "touchy" person. At the beginning of my relationship with Tom, one of his friends actually complained to him about my lack of comfort with physical demonstrativeness. Well, obviously, we must have sufficient physical contact since we do have three children as evidence of our "couplings." The lack of physical exuberance on my part, is more than likely related to the sense of unapproachability, of which I'm sometimes accused. In case you are unaware, Germans are known much more for their efficiency and timeliness than they are for their fuzzy warmth. I'm gratified to have recently learned (thanks again, Yas!) that the type of hugging I'm most comfortable with has a name: A-Frame Hugging. The A-Frame is defined as a hug in which only the shoulders and arms connect while the remainder of the body is held apart. I refuse to accept that this is an inferior type of embrace. Would you consider an A-Frame house to be a sub par structure? I think not. Perhaps, my style of hugging has evolved in response to the grinding and dry-humping I have witnessed over the years while chaperoning High School dances. I don't suppose anyone has considered that maybe I'm just doing my part to restore balance in a world filled with overly graphic, public, physical displays.

Since it would be insufficient to merely mock my greeting modus operandi without addressing my departure technique, I will freely share with you my method of escape. I learned recently that there was a name for the way I like to leave, be it from a party, an evening at work, or at the airport or train station: the Irish Goodbye. Regardless of whether it is a romantic break-up or the ending of a social event, I've always hated to say goodbye. I've been known to tell people that I "don't do goodbyes," prior to quietly departing unnoticed. There was definitely a strong sense of relief when I became aware that I am not the only person afflicted by this character flaw (idiosyncrasy?) and that I apparently represent both sides of my lineage equally, in things other than beer consumption.

In conclusion, if I don't give you a full frontal embrace, or you notice that I'm gone but don't recall my saying goodbye, please don't take it personally. The distance between our bodies does not diminish the closeness of my heart.