Off

Do you ever feel like something is off even though things are good? You take a mental inventory of what’s happened in the last couple of days and, man, you really can’t complain. You think about what’s still in store for the weekend (company Christmas dinner, helicopter ride with the kids to check out the Christmas lights, Sheepherders’ Ball). Not bad. But the stupid feeling keeps lurking around and makes it hard to fully enjoy the day. To make things worse, I don’t know what’s wrong with people and why can’t they read my mind, therefore failing to comply with the queen’s wishes.

Could the reason I feel this way be because I bit the bullet and upgraded my jailbroken iPhone to iOS5, I don’t quite like it, and now I regret it? Maybe that letter I wrote for the Bergara Love Letter contest got me in a bad mood. Or because once again I’m the one that starts the call/text/email/chat. I don’t regret doing it, I just wish being myself didn’t feel like I push people to do things they don’t want to do.

However, I believe the “Pinky Hug” is at the culprit of this sucky feeling. What’s a “Pinky Hug”, you ask? That’s a very good question. You see, it’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard in my life. One more reason to not ever become an American citizen. I don’t remember exactly how we got into the topic, but my daughter told me yesterday how their school has a “No Touch” policy (or “Hands off” or something to that effect, I forgot the exact name of the stupid rule), which prohibits kids to hug each other. But they can interlace their pinkies instead. I’m sorry, but that’s just dumb.

I’m sure being from another country where personal space is an unknown concept and people greet each other with a hug and kisses on both cheeks has something to do with the way I feel about this particular issue. My daughter is six and my son is eight. I will not have them grow up thinking that hugging is bad, that showing affection for a friend is something shameful. So I told Maitane to go ahead and hug her friend Livia if she wants. I welcome that phone call from the school where they tell me my kid is in trouble for hugging a friend. Hopefully this off feeling will have disappeared by then clearing the way for that mature and understanding side of me that comes to visit once in a while.

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