Actually, he could have said: “I love you, MAN” and it would have been a Budweiser commecial.
It’s funny how things have changed; or, maybe it’s just me. I didn’t grow up in a family where the men were very demonstrative, physically speaking. I guess I just took that to be normal behavior. But both of my sons, in their 30’s now, have always been the “I love ya, man” kind of guys, kids seem to be that way more these days, and thank God, it’s rubbed off on me. To be able to give my boys and now, my grandkids, a hug when they come to visit, or leave on a trip, or to hug an old friend I haven’t seen for a while, not only feels right but is very freeing from my old ways. I’m really happy to have gotten past the hang-ups of my childhood.