God Bless America

After a full seven days back in the USA, after considerable time away, I feel like I should be settled. I am not, but largely because I am leaving again (in 11 hours). But also, I think that it might be an accumulation of subtle shifts in the earth's core or in my psychic space that have caused irrevocable change that I can feel so palpably that I cannot see clearly and certainly not think clearly. I think the moment when I knew that I was watching a sci-fi version of the world that I left was when I heard the following conversation: Upon greeting a group of old friends, "Oh is it so good to see you. How have you been?" to one friend and... "I don't need to hug you, I hugged you a few weeks ago" to another. These are the words that have irked me and literally woke me this morning with the dawn birds and have kept me up since. I come from a place where upon meeting a stranger we greet with a hug and a kiss. And the conversation goes like this: "Welcome home, Nice to meet you. We don't shake hands here." Hug and kiss. Am I alone my the horror of these words? "I don't need to hug you, I hugged you a few weeks ago" is a condemnation of what I value in humanity. It makes me want to wrap my arms around everyone and everything, to ask the world to climb up on my lap and nestle in under my chin; to snuggle and nap in a big cozy pile. I want to stroke the hair and kiss the forehead of every person on the planet, until they all know that any hug, every hug and from everybody is an essential human food-- if we have gone so far as to not crave, it is no wonder we are starving.