CUDDLING

Cuddle means to hold close for warmth or comfort or in affection; to lie close, or snuggle, or nestle.

Moms cuddle babies; lovers cuddle; teenagers sometimes cuddle; cats and dogs cuddle; birds do it; other pets snuggle. I know from nature movies and visits to the zoo, that other animals cuddle.

I think, based on my own experiences, that cuddling is something you can do to make you feel calm, safe, less stressed.

If you’ve been with your loved one, your partner, for a long time, as I have, the calm, safe feelings comes with holding hands, or a quick kiss. Sometimes I visit my husband while he’s working, and rub his neck while he’s typing, or slide my arms down his shoulders carefully, so as not to mess up his work.

But cuddling, or being cuddled, by anyone else -- an acquaintance, or a stranger wouldn’t be pleasant, calm, safe, or soothing. It would be weird.

So when I saw this video clip – (it’s sort of like an advertisement made by a girl in her twenties, who will cuddle you for $50 an hour) – well, I blinked. I laughed and started wondering if this girl isn’t going to get slammed, severely criticized, shut down by police or some city agency when the complaints start piling up.

She isn’t licensed. Are rules posted? And gee, what about clean sheets, pillow cases, toilet and washing facilities? What happens if a client wants more than cuddling? What does she do if things get get weird?

Is cuddling a new way of earning money in these depression times? Is this a job you’d consider doing?

Hey, maybe this whole thing is a fun idea by an adventuresome, clever girl who wants to be famous. She’s figuring the video will go viral, or someone will make a big fuss – the media will grab it, and she’ll grab a great fifteen minutes.