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The Power Of Hugs

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." - Jack Roosevelt Robinson

This quote, attributed to and displayed on baseball and civil rights pioneer, Jackie Robinson's tombstone, is one of my favorite quotes. It has long served as a personal motto and reminder of why I do what I do, despite the lack of money or acknowledgment I may receive from others. Over the years, I'd like to think my life has been lived in a manner that directly reflects this quote and its meaning.

Yesterday, before work, I visited my old job. While my new job is quite similar, there are obviously differences, the main one being, a completely different set of kids. The kids I was visiting were kids I saw every weekday, with the exception of a few weeks each summer, for two years. A tiny fraction of my life, but quite a large part of theirs. I've thought about all of them over the last two months, some of them quite a bit. Yesterday, however, was the first time I would see any of them in that time. I walked in half an hour before noon and left only a few minutes after the clock struck 12. What I experienced was not what I was expecting. A barrage of hugs, hand-holding, reminiscing, jokes, laughs, and questions about why I was no longer there. Some of the attention surprised me. Some of the hugs lasted longer and felt stronger than others, but for a brief moment, I realized that not only was I a visiting counselor, but I was someone these kids felt as strongly about as I felt about them. I was overcome with joy. Fighting back tears, I said my goodbyes and left them for my new family.

I am not a parent and if you know me, you know my feelings about the overused concept of unconditional love and how many exhibit behaviors that are learned, mistaking them for being innate. Yesterday, I realized that for two years, despite ebbs and flows in my personal life and feelings, these kids had slowly turned into my family. I am not blind to the fact that I left this family, as I was humorously reminded by some, with big smiles and being labeled a "traitor." While some may read that as an insult, it resonated with me, because it meant that in their eyes, I belonged with them.

I have always been hesitant to call what I do work or a job. Its ease comes from the pleasure it gives me and that which I take from the laughs, giggles, and hugs. The financial rewards are minuscule in comparison to what they've done for me mentally and emotionally. Yesterday, while swarmed by their little arms, their tight squeezes and their words of delight to see me, I realized that this quote which I hold so dear was never more relevant, but not in the way many may think. Yesterday, for less than forty minutes, all those tiny, short-lived lives became the most important in the world, because of the impact they've had on mine.

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