Hold My Hand

So you are out on a third date with a particularly lovely person and you are peacefully sitting next to somebody who you are utterly enjoying the moment with. You get this urge to reach out and to hold their hand in yours. But what is this instinct? I personally have had no idea what to do with my hands when I am not using them for some other activity. What is so special about placing your hand in somebody else's?



Let's consider examples from popular culture:
Fergie
Big Girls Don't Cry

Yes you can hold my hand if you want to
'cause I wanna hold yours too
We'll be playmates and lovers and share our secret worlds

Hootie and the BlowFish
Hold My Hand

Hold my hand
Maybe we can't change the world but
I wanna love you the best that, the best that I can, yeah

Vertical Horizon
Heart in Hand

There for you and you're there for me

Pictures and photographs
Memories and windows
Goodbyes and epitaphs
Heartbeats and hellos

Are you waiting for
Heart in hand
Woman and man
See me where I stand I am
Heart
Heart in hand

Examples from the Bible:

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD, Your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.



The power of touch is always very powerful. It shows a level of comfort beyond what can be expressed through most words or actions. Also, are hands are our source of livelihood. Without our hands we could not feed ourselves, we could not open a door or drive a car. (at least not easily) Occupying our hands with the sole purpose of holding somebodies else puts your attention solely upon them instead of allowing you to do something else.

I can remember some of my most vivid memories involve holding hands. One summer I went to a summer concert with my older sister in downtown Atlanta. There were literally hundreds of thousands of people gathered together in an open courtyard. My sister and I managed to gather almost all the way to the front of the crowd. Within the first 20 min of the concert it started pouring rain. Having taken public transportation we were 45 min from our cars with about 15 min of walking to the train station. Us both being soaked I took my sisters hand and crossed the downtown streets of Atlanta. We both were soaked, in the dark rain with a long journey ahead to get home. But we were together and I knew that as long as she was near I could never frown.



One of the second most vivid memories of hand holding involved a girl that I was good friends with in high school named Meghan. As I started getting closer to her I invited her up for a weekend retreat at my best friends lake house. I picked her up and drove her the 3 hour drive down there. She slept the whole way :) I could not be more pleased that she trusted me blindly to get her there safe (I was a 17 year old driver). That night we sat around the fire singing to guitar music until it was time to sleep. Sleeping quarters were tight so we all slept on the floor in the living room. My sleeping bag was next to hers and as we both lay down for bed we lay holding hands as we drifted off to a peaceable sleep. I felt so at peace falling asleep in her presence - knowing that she was there right there, going through a similar experience.

One thing is clear, holding hands means can show you are not judgmental, you are committed, empathetic and totally accepting. I hope that everyone reading this can show their love to somebody else by the power of loving touch of hand to hand.