Hug It Out

I had a 10-12 page botanical research paper that was due this morning in class. It was, to say the least, intense. After a full school day yesterday (10am-9pm, with two breaks), I went to B's house to eat dinner and finish my paper. I walked in the door and he started talking to me about his day and other things that were going on (yes, again, writing about bf problems on the blog somehow solves them in real life...), and when he turned away to start making dinner I started crying and hoped he wouldn't notice. He did, of course, and immediately started being hilarious to try to cheer me up. The tears stopped, and dinner made me feel a little better. However, I was still super stressed about my paper (which was actually 15 pages long because I'm an over-achiever -- thanks mom and dad!), and other school things on my agenda.

I sat at his desk working on my paper, and he laid in bed watching TV. By this point, it was around midnight, and when he would see me stressing out, he would just do something to make me laugh. It was really nice to have a good laugh together. It's amazing how much stress it releases!

There were also a few times between the hours of midnight and 1 where I just looked at him and he would give me the puppy-dog eyes. It's funny, because when the kids I babysit for give me the puppy-dog eyes I rarely give in. But when B does it, I rarely say no. Anyways, he would give me the eyes and say, "Come snuggle with me for a minute, take a break, relax." So I would have to do it. Then he would give me the biggest hugs ever and squeeze some of my stress away. And then say, "Okay, now just go to bed! :)" I would just smile, give him another big squeeze, and get back to my paper.

Obviously, I eventually made it to bed. I hardly slept because I was extremely anxious about my paper, but laying next to him (and the dog!) made me feel so much better. If laughter is the best medicine, then hugs are what you wash it down with. B's hugs saved me from a nervous breakdown last night. And pretty much any other time I'm on the brink. It's amazing what the smallest amount of physical contact from someone you love can do!

So next time you're feeling down, or on the brink of a breakdown, steal a huge hug from someone you care about. It might not fix everything, but it sure is a comfy band-aid!!!