I had not hugged a friend or a family member for more than two years until recently when my sister-in-law flew in for a brief visit. For everyone's safety, we met outside. Despite the wintry weather, her hug warmed me from the inside out. It's strange, but only now do I truly realize how much I've missed embracing loved ones--the warmth that remains long after our arms have loosened.

Growing up through war in my hometown of Sarajevo, Bosnia, every moment was full of danger. On one peaceful morning, I had begged my mom to let me go outside after spending weeks wilting (蔫) indoors. She finally agreed. I was outside for only 10 minutes when I was caught in an explosion. I ran to my neighbor's house for safety and threw my arms around her neck just as my legs collapsed underneath me. She hugged me with both arms and dragged me into her house. I was still in her arms when the ambulance arrived.

Thankfully, I made a full physical recovery, but the emotional scars never left me. Years later there was another explosion near my house. I was safely inside, but my father had left to buy a loaf of bread. He had only just missed the blast. When he came back inside, I gave him the biggest hug imaginable. I was caked in tears as I held him tight.

That same night my parents managed to arrange my escape from our war-torn city. They desperately wanted at least some of my childhood to be normal. I was 16 and came to America on my own. A generous host family took me in and I began learning English and going to school. They had a large dog called Oscar. Over the next several months, I secretly struggled with feeling homesick and worried about my family back home. Despite managing quite well at school, I couldn't express my feelings. The only way I shared how I felt was by giving Oscar a big hug.

It is yet another sad aspect of our pandemic lives that hugging a stranger is the last thing on our minds.

For many of us, even hugging a relative or a friend comes with stress and anxiety over risks and precautions (防范). Perhaps we have undervalued the impact of a simple hug. As I look back on my past, I count myself truly lucky to have been held, shielded and encouraged at some of the most key moments of my life by the almost super power of a hug. I pray that in the not-so-distant future we can safely hold one another again-a friend, relative, or even a stranger.

3 Hour Off-Road Sunset Safari to Grand Canyon with Entrance Gate Detour

Overview

Experience spectacular views of the Grand Canyon South Rim without the crowds. With this tour, you'll take the road less traveled to reach the iconic landmark, driving along scenic back roads in a comfortable 4WD safari vehicle and avoiding the busy south entrance gate. Stop to admire the views from Yavapai Point, Pipe Creek Canyon, and Duck on a Rock Overlook, then time your arrival to watch the sunset from Grand view Point.

What To Expect

* Grand Canyon South Rim Voted best and most fascinating 3-hour Sunset tour at Grand Canyon. Informative, local guides describe Grand Canyon geological formations, Native American history, mule and hiking trail systems, and the rich history of this region. Includes Tusayan pick-up, south entrance gate detour during 30 minute off-road hiking, viewing of native wildlife such as elk. deer and rare bird species in their natural environment;ending at Grand view Point where the fading sunlight turns the Canyon into vivid colors.

3 hours Admission Ticket Included

* Yavapai Point See magnificent vistas, Colorado River and Phantom Ranch.

45 minutes Admission Ticket Included

* Pipe Creek Vista

Pipe Creek Viewpoint

*Grandview Point

1 hour Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info AYSTA

*Confirmation will be received at time of booking

* Not recommended for travelers with back problems

*Minimum 2 people—if less call direct at 928-638-5337

*This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund (退款). Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience's start time will not be accepted.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it's canceled because the minimum isn't met, you'll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

David Hare is a British playwright, theatre and film director and an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. He shares the books that have changed him.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

I fell in love with Oscar Wilde at the age of ten. In 1960,when I was 13,1 was engaged in a puppet (木偶) performance of The Importance of Being Earnest, with two other friends from the Thalia School of Drama in Bex hill-on-Sea. Even heavily cut, it was very hard work. The string work required to pass cucumber sandwiches between puppets was way beyond us. But we loved the dialogue and we raised a fair amount of money for charity. At Cambridge University, much to the horror of the puritanical English department, I did a dissertation (论文) on Wilde. Generous, witty, and original, Wilde's been with me all the way.

The Third Man by Graham Greene

It never had occurred to me that a film script could be published, until, at some time in the late 1960s, the BFI published the full text of The Third Man, illustrated with stills from the film.

It was a revelation, and an education in the profession of screenwriting which I would eventually take up. It's every writer's dream to be both good and popular, but Greene is one of the few who has achieved it in my lifetime. His novel, The End of the Affair, affected me so profoundly because it made me realize how important romantic love would be to me-something of which I, up till then, didn't know.

Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt

George Steiner at Cambridge used to lecture about Western civilization being terminated at Auschwitz during WW Ⅱ. In those days nobody talked about the camps, where millions of Jews were slaughtered. Meanwhile I finally read Hannah Arendt. I never imagined that a philosopher could so urgently address profound questions which actually mattered in everyday life. Her account of how evil may be done by quite ordinary people has never been surpassed.