We All Need Hugs
Charlene Giannetti
September 21, 2025
Something as simple as a hug can reassure someone who is feeling down. Try it.
Bold, insightful, and unafraid to dig deeper—our Opinions section offers commentary that challenges assumptions and encourages dialogue. Discover diverse perspectives on culture, politics, and life, all through a distinctly female lens.
Something as simple as a hug can reassure someone who is feeling down. Try it.
For ten years, through three Presidential administrations, I lived in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Even though I had lived in our nation’s capital in the 1970s, I had never lived in Virginia, so began to explore the state. When I was offered the opportunity to write a
Recently on Fox News, President Trump “confessed” that he wants to go to heaven but believes he’s “far down the totem pole.” It’s not unusual to hear an elderly person nearing the end of their life talk about heaven and what it will take to make the cut. Trump believes
Even though fentanyl deaths have dropped dramatically in 2024 from 2023 – an estimated 27 percent – the Trump administration has used the crisis to justify raising tariffs on our northern ally, Canada, and now for possibly sending troops into Mexico, targeting the cartels. Drug overdose deaths have decreased because
Watch daytime TV and the juxtaposition of ads can be jarring. Alongside promos for weight loss drugs like Munjaro and Ozempic, there are pleas to help children starving worldwide and closer to home. Only in a developed country could we watch this play out: a segment of our population needing
Like Connie Francis (born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero), one of my grandfathers was born in Reggio Calabria. Even though my hometown in upstate New York had a large Italian-American population, on the national stage young women who looked like me were scarce. Annette Funicello, an original Mouseketeer, was one, Connie
Thanksgiving, once a holiday we enjoyed, became a source of agitation and conflict after the 2016 election. Gathering with relatives who supported Trump led to a side dish of agita, along with the traditional turkey and trimmings. After Biden’s victory over Trump, we experienced a four-year respite. However, with Trump’s
The humbling act of parking your derrière on crinkling medical exam table paper can make you cringe in expectation of health-related surprises. I’m perched like a pigeon in the examining room of my orthopedic surgeon, awaiting his entrance. He operated on me a year prior, so at least I’m familiar
Something as simple as a hug can reassure someone who is feeling down. Try it.
For ten years, through three Presidential administrations, I lived in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. Even though I had lived in our nation’s capital in the 1970s, I had never lived in Virginia, so began to explore the state. When I was offered the opportunity to write a book focusing on Virginia’s plantations, I saw that project as a way to learn more about the Old Dominion, a state that has produced eight
Recently on Fox News, President Trump “confessed” that he wants to go to heaven but believes he’s “far down the totem pole.” It’s not unusual to hear an elderly person nearing the end of their life talk about heaven and what it will take to make the cut. Trump believes that if he’s able to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, that will give him entry to heaven. (And, let’s not forget, a
Even though fentanyl deaths have dropped dramatically in 2024 from 2023 – an estimated 27 percent – the Trump administration has used the crisis to justify raising tariffs on our northern ally, Canada, and now for possibly sending troops into Mexico, targeting the cartels. Drug overdose deaths have decreased because of education about the dangers of fentanyl and, also, because of the availability of Naloxone (brand name Narcan), the nasal spray that can quickly reverse
Watch daytime TV and the juxtaposition of ads can be jarring. Alongside promos for weight loss drugs like Munjaro and Ozempic, there are pleas to help children starving worldwide and closer to home. Only in a developed country could we watch this play out: a segment of our population needing help to stop eating, while adults and children in other areas don’t have enough to eat. The term now being used is “food insecurity,” a
Like Connie Francis (born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero), one of my grandfathers was born in Reggio Calabria. Even though my hometown in upstate New York had a large Italian-American population, on the national stage young women who looked like me were scarce. Annette Funicello, an original Mouseketeer, was one, Connie Francis was another. She had a powerful voice, one that was filled with emotion – angst, longing, sadness, and sometimes, happiness and joy. Her life,
Thanksgiving, once a holiday we enjoyed, became a source of agitation and conflict after the 2016 election. Gathering with relatives who supported Trump led to a side dish of agita, along with the traditional turkey and trimmings. After Biden’s victory over Trump, we experienced a four-year respite. However, with Trump’s return to the White House, the state of affairs is even worse than what we witnessed in 2017. While we once again dread November, we
The humbling act of parking your derrière on crinkling medical exam table paper can make you cringe in expectation of health-related surprises. I’m perched like a pigeon in the examining room of my orthopedic surgeon, awaiting his entrance. He operated on me a year prior, so at least I’m familiar with him, his team, the whole nine yards. But this time, the surprise is altogether different. As he enters, donned in his signature crisp white