The Warmth of an Embrace

Some of us are fortunate enough to have family or friends that live close by. Some of us have a spouse, partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, children, or a neighbour even. I'm writing this article to give a little reminder to the reader on how great the importance of expressing love is. Love can be expressed in many ways. Of course doing random acts of kindness is one. Whether it be for someone you know or even towards a total stranger. I'm starting to think that we're all a little bit too picky with who we express our love to. There's so much importance and value in having that embrace, such as a hug, that can calm you down and relax you for merely a moment.

We're all made in G-d's image. We all need a hug sometimes. No one is too strong or powerful to receive a hug from another. Don't get me wrong. If a stranger that looked really creepy came up to me and wanted a hug, I'd be kinda weirded out, and I'd be like, um, no. That's an example of when expressing another form of love would be in order, such as simple kindness. Even talking or listening to someone that could use a friend is a beautiful way of showing love and expressing your care for them. I feel genuinely sad for those that don't understand the effect that a hug can have. To embrace one that you love in a difficult time can literally relieve an immense amount of stress, which will allow that person to cope with their difficult or temporarily difficult situation with much more ease.

I have a confession to make. I've used certain role models all of my life that many may find as quite humorous and think that I'm joking or being untruthful. But on the contrary, I've always used cartoon and television role models to show me how a person should behave. I've always seen such beauty and goodness in many characters I grew up watching, and even until this very day, I do the same. For example, in an older sitcom called, "Leave It to Beaver," I've always found the family dynamic quite appealing. There was so much love and order in the home. I was quite fond of the roles that June and Ward portrayed. Ward always played this masculine, clean cut, hard working, good husband, and father type. He always cared about discipline and order in the home, which I feel is quite essential. June was always dressed in a pristine manner, very feminine in her appearance, and always cared about keeping a tidy, and organized home. She seemed to be a good mother that cared for her family's well being and needs. At times, she knew when to handle things herself, and when to talk to her husband and figure out what to do when there was a family issue that she needed help with. They always appeared to be an honest, trusting, and faithful couple. One thing I liked more than anything in this show, was the politeness, the poise, and the calm way that things were always handled, even in the difficult times. 

Then there were the Disney Princess cartoons that I definitely role modeled myself after. Since I was a little girl, I had a tomboyish side, but I also loved more than anything the feminine role of a lady and a princess. The way that the princesses walked, talked, dressed, and had love for all people and living things. I always saw such beauty in it. Once again, just like in "Leave It to Beaver," there was always a sense of calm, and they showed such poise and grace. Disney Princesses almost always portrayed a beauty from within and that's the best kind of beauty. It almost seemed like they were so beautiful on the inside, that the outside was even more beautiful. Yes, I realize that I'm talking about cartoons right now. I think that as we get older, some of us forget the importance of having good manners, being polite, and showing kindness to strangers. Maybe I live in a fairytale, but I like it better in my world.

When I became involved and close with a Jewish Iranian family, made Iranian friends, and acquaintances (of all religions), hosted a Persian Television show, etc., I noticed that the Iranian community predominantly all embraced me, because I embraced their culture by the things that I'd learned about it. This was one of my most enjoyable experiences. I had such a passion to be a part of them. I was entirely driven and motivated to learn how to read and write Farsi, speak Farsi, cook Persian food, dance Persian style dancing, grow a love for Persian music, and learn what I could about the social life. I was loving my Persian style life and completely absorbing all that I could in order to fit in. I did this in such a way that almost all of it started to become second nature to me and it felt as if something was missing, when I wasn't around my people ;). Perhaps, I'm not as into the culture as much as I was, but I definitely embraced it and loved it. Like any other culture or religion, there were qualities that were the best of the best and qualities that were the worst of the worst. This is indeed a fun subject to keep writing about, especially the positives, but I'll stay on track, hoping the point was taken.

It's so important to embrace people that we love. When we want to learn and discover new things, new cultures, new religions, etc., I feel that we should do nothing short of dive in and embrace it with all of our hearts. People love when they feel loved and simply adore it when you show an appreciation for their cultures, etc., especially when you embrace them to the fullest. Don't forget to embrace those that you care for, and appreciate them with all of your heart. Wishing you all a beautiful week ahead with much love.