The Power of a Hug

One day, outside the waiting room of the Lightning Kid’s chief healer, he ran up to a large man sitting on a couch, climbed the couch, and hugged the man.  The Queen was with him, and had seen this sort of thing before.  The Lightning Kid was very free with his hugs in general, yet it became somewhat unpredictable as to who would become his next target at any given time.  People with the same condition as the Lightning Kid were somewhat known for this sort of behaviour, and while the King and Queen disliked stereotypes, they knew there were worse qualities to have.  Still, although there had never been a negative reaction to this, the Queen braced herself for the potential consequences of this unsolicited incursion into the man’s personal space from a cute (if somewhat snot-encrusted) toddler.

No bracing, however, could prepare her for the sight of the man fighting back tears as he said:

"Little buddy, thank you so much! I can't remember the last time I received a hug! You have no idea how much you just made my day!"

While it’s sad to think of what the man’s circumstances might have been that he would be in such desperate need of a hug, it’s nice to think that a change can come from such an unlikely, yet simple place.

From our family to yours, Happy New Year.  Consider yourselves all a virtual recipient of a hug courtesy of the Lightning Kid.