Like a boomerang, you get it right back.

In high school I was voted "most huggable", a declaration I make enough that it's turning apocryphal.  I can't recall if it was a school-wide voting process or even if such a grand title is officially listed in any yearbook (and I'm certainly not traipsing down to the storage boxes in the basement to validate this claim).  All I can say, with honesty, is that I would not give myself any "most -able/most likely to -" designation without merit, so there must be some amount of truth involved.  There must be someone out there that can corroborate this claim.

If I'm allowed to brag, I am pretty fucking good at hugging.  Being mushy in a lot of places (more now than in 1997) certainly helps, but the secret to a good hug is dedication.  You need to want to hug that person, to hold her up, to carry the burden of the world for a few moments, and join forces against whatever trials await.  Don't treat it like a courtesy, or a chore.  Hug her like they're going to blow away in the wind if you let go.  I use "her", but I've probably hugged more men than women in my lifetime (I was also in three musicals, president of the show choir, and in my younger days I was a first tenor, if we want to keep blowing stereotypes out of the water).  All of this unsolicited advice, and I act so grandiose and haughty about it.  Bow before your lord of the hug!

When I'm meeting new people, this honor usually comes up in conversation.  I don't just blurt it out, obviously, because then those people might think that I've been hanging my hat on something so worthless for over 15 years, and it's clear that I haven't.  Sarcasm is tricky in print.  Reactions have varied from a total lack of interest to a quizzical raising of the eyebrows.  A few have requested a demonstration...fewer than I would have assumed.  If I met someone that declared himself the greatest whistler of all time, you're damn right I would demand a performance.  Whistling doesn't usually require close contact with a total stranger, though.

While my abilities to give good hugs are debatable, I think it's safe to say that I've hugged more humans than would be considered typical, assuming the census tracks such data.  I went to a wedding last weekend, and in the initial introduction of various family members I was hugged by an aunt (not my aunt...although all of them are pretty big on hugging).  She embraced me and I thought "I think we'll get along just fine".  And guess what?

Most Huggable.  That's what people thought of me in 1997.

If they voted on such affairs in adulthood, you can keep your Most Likely to Succeed, or Best Personality, or Funniest.  I'd rather have another term in the same office.