The Power of a Hug
My boyfriend and I were having lunch in a restaurant, and we noticed a woman at the table in front of us. She was alone and quietly crying. We mentioned the woman to our waitress, and the waitress said she’d also noticed that she was crying, but wasn’t sure what had happened. My boyfriend walked over to the woman and said, “you look like you could use a hug,” and then gave her a calming hug. When he moved away, she smiled a bit and thanked him. My boyfriend returned to the table, and when our waitress came over again, we asked for both our own check and the woman’s check. We paid both of the bills and then quietly snuck out before the woman could discover what we’d done. We hoped our gesture lifted her up and helped her remember that she wasn’t alone.