Over the next few weeks, I discovered that Seth lived alone with a cat and loved ecstatic dancing and skinny-dipping in cold lakes in the Sierras. But what separated him from a lot of men was his emotional availability. He wasn’t afraid to let people get close. In fact, he invited almost everyone in. At a friend’s party one night, after we’d mutually decided it was time to go, I waved a loud goodbye to everybody before heading out. And then I waited. And waited. Finally, I walked back up the steps and peeped in through the door frame. As it turns out, Seth’s way of saying goodbye is hug-centric: No person left unhugged.
By the one-year mark, we had shifted from rom-com to soap opera drama. My aloofness and privacy triggered Seth’s impulse to connect. His need for closeness clashed with my tendency to seek solitude when I was upset. Neither of us backed down. After an argument, if Seth initiated a makeup hug too early, our bodies remained stiff and unforgiving. Hugging at these times held an emptiness; it became a sham.
The Coronavirus Outbreak ›
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated August 27, 2020
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What should I consider when choosing a mask?
- There are a few basic things to consider. Does it have at least two layers? Good. If you hold it up to the light, can you see through it? Bad. Can you blow a candle out through your mask? Bad. Do you feel mostly OK wearing it for hours at a time? Good. The most important thing, after finding a mask that fits well without gapping, is to find a mask that you will wear. Spend some time picking out your mask, and find something that works with your personal style. You should be wearing it whenever you’re out in public for the foreseeable future. Read more: What’s the Best Material for a Mask?
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What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
- In the beginning, the coronavirus seemed like it was primarily a respiratory illness — many patients had fever and chills, were weak and tired, and coughed a lot, though some people don’t show many symptoms at all. Those who seemed sickest had pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome and received supplemental oxygen. By now, doctors have identified many more symptoms and syndromes. In April, the C.D.C. added to the list of early signs sore throat, fever, chills and muscle aches. Gastrointestinal upset, such as diarrhea and nausea, has also been observed. Another telltale sign of infection may be a sudden, profound diminution of one’s sense of smell and taste. Teenagers and young adults in some cases have developed painful red and purple lesions on their fingers and toes — nicknamed “Covid toe” — but few other serious symptoms.
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Why does standing six feet away from others help?
- The coronavirus spreads primarily through droplets from your mouth and nose, especially when you cough or sneeze. The C.D.C., one of the organizations using that measure, bases its recommendation of six feet on the idea that most large droplets that people expel when they cough or sneeze will fall to the ground within six feet. But six feet has never been a magic number that guarantees complete protection. Sneezes, for instance, can launch droplets a lot farther than six feet, according to a recent study. It’s a rule of thumb: You should be safest standing six feet apart outside, especially when it’s windy. But keep a mask on at all times, even when you think you’re far enough apart.
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I have antibodies. Am I now immune?
- As of right now, that seems likely, for at least several months. There have been frightening accounts of people suffering what seems to be a second bout of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a drawn-out course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may last in the body only two to three months, which may seem worrisome, but that’s perfectly normal after an acute infection subsides, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It may be possible to get the coronavirus again, but it’s highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or make people sicker the second time.
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I’m a small-business owner. Can I get relief?
- The stimulus bills enacted in March offer help for the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for aid are businesses and nonprofit organizations with fewer than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some industries are also eligible. The help being offered, which is being managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. But lots of folks have not yet seen payouts. Even those who have received help are confused: The rules are draconian, and some are stuck sitting on money they don’t know how to use. Many small-business owners are getting less than they expected or not hearing anything at all.
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What are my rights if I am worried about going back to work?
What made this relationship different from others I’d had was how we always came back to each other in the end: to talk, to listen, to laugh. Seth learned to give me the time I needed before we talked, even if it felt foreign to him. Then he’d say: “Come here. I need ventral to ventral.” Pressing our hearts and abdomens together was his fast-track return to the type of love and intimacy he grew up with: lifelong friendships, earnest communication with good eye contact, processing feelings over a cup of tea. Over the years, I gradually shared with him shadowy, cobwebbed parts of myself, and grew less fearful and more appreciative of his brand of intimacy. My hugging style evolved: I began to absorb more, and shy away less.
Rapidly, we did everything couples are warned against doing — move in together, plan a wedding, buy a house, get pregnant — all in two years’ time. After a sushi dinner with our parents to celebrate our pregnancy, my father stood up, not to toast us, but to speed the night along. He said, in his quick, slapdash manner: “OK, OK, good night, everybody. What good news, but it’s time to get home.” Then he dodged out the door. The rest of us followed, and watched as Seth’s father chased mine half a block down the street.
“Hold on, I need to hug you goodbye,” he called out, wagging a finger good-naturedly.
“Oh, come on!” my father protested. “We’ve already hugged once!”
“Well,” Seth’s father said, smiling, “Let me give you one more.”
Seth and I have been married for six years, and now have two kids, ages 2 and 5. I’ve had all of this time to embrace the hug, and I’ve made real progress. But now, with the coronavirus pandemic, the world is taking a long hiatus from hugging. Instead of greeting people in the usual way, I’m now raising elbows from six feet away, air-hugging, virtually hugging, even emoji hugging. In this crisis, my husband and daughters are the only people I touch. When I collapse-hug my husband at the end of a long day, or snuggle my daughters at bedtime, I’m aware that the act of embracing transmits compassion, connection and love — an invitation to deepen a relationship.
When Covid-19 is behind us, I hope we return to hugging, outside our families. But meanwhile, I am grateful to be married to a champion hugger, who has passed on his skills to our daughters. I’ve come a long way in the art of hugging, and I still have much to learn.
And I wonder: What will it mean to hug again on the other side of this?
Ariella Cook-Shonkoff is a licensed psychotherapist and art therapist based in Berkeley, Calif.