No more kissing and hugging at inappropriate times

“And then those wet kisses on your birthday from that distant colleague,” I discussed the benefits of not having to hug and kiss with my best friend. Because let's be honest: they exist, especially in hugging Amsterdam where you find yourself in the arms of a vague acquaintance every now and then, wondering what on earth you're doing there.

I still remember the first scoundrel who gave me a half hug-kiss, while I had never seen the person in question physically in my life. After three years in an office in sober Zeeland, to say the least, that takes some getting used to. There I jumped on my very distant colleague for a birthday just for fun to give her a big hug, and then she started waving halfway through that I should just salt it with all that cuddling of mine.

Is a one-and-a-half-meter society the solution to no longer having to kiss or hug? It seems so. The introverted person would almost want to throw a party for it, even though the introverted person doesn't really like parties. The new standard seems to be a half-waving greeting, personal space has gone from 70 centimeters with a vague acquaintance to 150 centimeters. And honestly, maybe we are looking forward to that little bit more distance, because to my knowledge, everyone always wants the first week of January off to avoid all those New Year's kisses.

I still remember who I last shook hands with, and you? It was my neighbor across the street who caught me off guard a bit two days after Rutte's advice, and then I rushed to the sink to wash my hands. For the last hug (thankfully not counting my boyfriend), I even had to flip back in my agenda to the day before the press conference. I got that from our Tess Hoens. It feels like a hundred years ago. When I saw my little baby cousin last week and got the green light from mom and dad to cuddle, I didn't let him go for the rest of the time. Even when he started to fuss a bit and my brother (aka his father) came to check if everything was under control, I still tried to act like he really didn't want to sleep.

Touching is a basic need, experts say. It protects you against stress and provides relaxation. Research even shows that children who are not touched much grow up to be more aggressive beings. We might be able to miss that strange hug, but not the touch of someone who is dear to us.

Yesterday was the worst day for me in terms of cuddling. I went to see my mother, whom I last could hold tightly in March because she is now in the risk group. I threw a hundred kiss emojis at my best friend. Even though I'm not the cuddly type, I would love to squeeze my own people again. Even if that means I also have to deal with vague acquaintances, although I suspect that time is over.