What are the rules for hugging? I might be inserting the hug into business situations where a simple handshake should suffice. The other day, for example, I gave a hug to a vendor named Jerome in an awkward moment when I felt he was making a move to hug me. But based on his reaction, I think hugging me was not his intention. He may have just been en route to opening the door. After the hug I felt bad because there was another guy from Jerome's company in the room, and I'd clearly excluded him from the hug. I felt this guilt before, on a client lunch in Chicago, when I hugged all the women but gave the one man present a firm handshake. I made up for it after the lunch and gave him a big bear hug on the street in front of the restaurant. I figured after a $200 lunch we were close enough to embrace.

Hopefully the huggees find the hugs pleasant, because that's of course how they're intended. I guess I'm just a hugger, it's my nature. And a cheek kisser too, come to think of it. Everyone should be, really, when the situation deems it appropriate. I suppose I'm still trying to figure out exactly what those situations are.