the other day dilip sri veriveraji our neighborhood guru was here to buy some onion and sour cream chips. i was a foot or two away from him and when i turned my body touched his and i started to apologize. he turned to me and told me that in this homo phobic society people are not only afraid of touching each other they are ashamed when it happens. parents stop touching their children once they are teenagers. they are afraid to show their love for each other through the human touch. if touching is done with care and tact in a way that not to offend the other person it is very warm and shows closeness and caring. he went on to say: i remember when i was in the old country my best friend and i used to hold hands all the way to school. and that was very normal. but here we have to keep our distance from every body as to not invade their space. we are all hiding behind our skins and are afraid to be touched or to touch any body. he then declared: every day i start the day by touching myself. i place my fingers on certain pressure points on my body and press and hold. i think doing this is the ultimate way of loving oneself. then he told me to try this: when you are standing bend down and try to touch tops of your bare feet. you can cheat and bend your knees a little. then with your finger tips gently press the area between the bridge of your feet and your toes. press and hold for ten seconds or so. the pleasure of the sensation you get is your daily gift to yourself.
