Let’s just get this out of the way: I’m weird about hugging.
I’m not the type to have anxiety attacks when someone invades my space,
although I know plenty of people who are. I just grew up in Texas. The sheer
number of people who’ve armpitted me in Wal-Mart on the grounds that our
grandparents used to go to the same hairdresser…
And while we’re admitting things, I’ll get this off my
chest: I think pts are gross. Their families are gross. I, while I’m inside the
hospital, am gross. Literally everything and everyone within a block of my job
is disgusting and I generally assume that anything touching me while I’m at
work is probably covered in a thick fondant of shit and dead roaches.
It might be a little dysfunctional, but this is just how my
brain works. It helps me keep track of who’s touching me and how much shit I
have on my body at any given time.
So you can imagine how delighted I was when I introduced
myself to my pt and her daughter and was immediately greeted with a
full-frontal hug.