In a cuddle group on Fetlife, someone made a comment about hugs vs cuddles, and that cuddles should be reserved for 'someone special'. The following was my response.
A hug can be just a greeting if that is all you want it to be. It can also be a way of establishing a bond with someone. A long sustained hug with a lot of yourself and emotion put into it can be so much more. I disagree that cuddling should only be reserved for 'someone special'. There are professional cuddlers who provide non sexual platonic cuddling for a fee, and I have heard that it provides the same benefits as cuddling between two people in love. I personally will provide cuddling for free to any woman who wants it. Whether they want the non sexual platonic cuddles, cuddles with a full relationship involved, or anything in between, I will always give them as much love and caring as I possibly can. BTW, 'platonic', at least in its original definition, means loving deeply in a very spiritual manner that is above physical needs, but does not necessarily exclude them. It later took on the meaning of being non sexual.
I thought that this might start a good discussion here. I look forward to reading the thoughts of others here on this.
Jim