Hi Folks:
Believe it or not, we started this post over a month ago, and it’s already February 3rd. So much for our “Welcoming 2019” title! Ah well… Continue Reading →
Category Archives: Random Thoughts
Happy Holidays!!
Hi Folks:
Whether you celebrate Christmas or Festivus, Solstice or Saturnalia, the arrival of Sinterklaas or Grandfather Frost, Hanukkah, Mawlid Un Nabi, Kwanzaa or something entirely personal, we send you love. Create an amazing 2019!!
(Merry or Happy Christmas In Different Languages 🙂 )
It’s Our Birthday!!
Hi Folks:
M&M’s Musings is nine years old today!! It’s been quite a year for us – more stories, more photographs, more travels, more sharing of free hugs (82 countries and counting!) and much of that has been shared here with you, our readers. Our blog currently has 573 blog posts and 147 pages, including stories, colouring pages and more! In the past year we’ve made Marcia’s books available for sale through our website and in local stores, and we have (to the best of our knowledge) complied with the EU GDPR.
We have many more stories, photographs and free hugs to come in the next year, so thank you for continuing to be here with us! This site is our gift to you, after all.
Hugs,
M&M
P.S. We didn’t actually buy our blog a birthday cake, but Marcia’s birthday is also soon, so maybe she’ll share some of hers… 🙂
Three Seconds of Connection
When we’re out hugging, that’s the very least you’ll get from us. We’ll look you in the eye, smile, wave and offer you a wish for a wonderful day. What happens next is entirely up to you. You can ignore and walk on by, smile and/or wave back, return our greeting… Or you can engage us and come in for a hug (or two). We really appreciate it when you do. ☺️
Hugs,
M&M
Marcia and Nathalie
Sawatsky Sign-Off: Good News
Hi Folks: If you’ve read our posts you know that this is our 9th year of hugging tourists and locals down at Victoria’s inner harbour, and that so far we’ve hugged ambassadors from at least 77 countries. Outside of that, however, we lead pretty quiet lives … so we were both shocked and delighted to receive a phone call a week ago from Adam Sawatsky, who works with CTV News, Vancouver Island. At the end of their news broadcasts they feature short segments of good news and uplifting people, giving their viewers an opportunity to head into their evenings with a positive outlook. These segments are collectively known as the Sawatsky Sign-Off.
Names That Remain
Hi Folks:
So far this summer we’ve been keeping a pretty regular schedule going out hugging on Sunday afternoons. We’ve now hugged Ambassadors from 77 countries (that we know of); 55 countries this year alone! As we’ve mentioned, we’ve hugged people in sadness and we’ve hugged people in joy and everywhere in between. While we were out again yesterday, the previous Sunday (August 5) brought several things together for us.
The first was a blog post written by author Robert Fulghum, entitled “Names That Remain” (yes, we stole his title for this post). You can read it for yourself; we’ll wait. Continue Reading →
Nine Years of Hugging…
Hi Folks:
When we took our first foray down to Victoria’s Inner Harbour in June, 2010 to try sharing hugs with strangers, we had no idea where our adventure would lead us. We were terrified at first, but nine years later, we’re still going strong! In fact we’ve held more free hugs sessions this year than ever before! In 2017 we had 20 sessions; our first was on April 1 (it seemed appropriate) and our last was on December 12. So far this year we’ve held 14 sessions; our first was on March 10 and we’re planning to continue for as long as we can!
In 9 years we’ve shared hugs, stories, smiles, tears, high-fives, waves and so much more with thousands of people from 75 countries (of which we are aware). They are: Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Eritrea, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kuwait, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Korea, Republic of Suriname, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, US and Zimbabwe. We’ve hugged people from 52 of those countries so far this year, and we’re always adding new ones to our list!
With few exceptions, we’ve held all of our hugging sessions at the Homecoming Memorial on Wharf Street. It’s a good location for us, and the biggest indicator of time passing has been the growth of the little pine tree behind us. Our tree has been watching over us for a long time, even when it was too short to do so…
Same hat, same jacket, same smile and no, the fence hasn’t shrunk any.
That’s it for now. Remember to hug someone you love today. Or a stranger. Or, preferably, both!
Hugs,
M&M
Happy Father’s Day!
To all fathers and those who have assumed the role: uncles, aunts, grandparents, siblings, friends and others, today we salute you for the monumental task you have undertaken. Remember to lead with love.
Hugs,
M&M
Father and Son
(look closely)
Celebrating Liz
Hi Folks:
Mike’s sister Liz passed away 23 years ago today. Her greatest legacy is her children, who have grown up to be remarkable people in their own right. Liz was also a talented writer; unfortunately none of her stories are in digital format, which means that they’re tucked away safely in a box somewhere. To that end we thought we’d offer two of our stories instead, as well as a story about a story. All of them have to do with butterflies. Marcia’s first: Continue Reading →
President Austin: Superhero
Hi Folks:
Things have been a little quiet around here of late while we’ve been organizing Rainbow Mouse and friends, but we came across this article from CBS News this morning and just had to share it with you.
Mild-mannered four-year-old by day, once a week he slips into a convenient phone booth, dons his cape and shares food (chicken sandwiches), hugs and appreciation. “Share Love” is his slogan, and it’s one we would all do well to adopt. The link to the full article is here: 4-year-old superhero using his power to feed the homeless – CBS News or click on the image below to see the video of Austin in action.
Share Love indeed. From Victoria, we send you hugs!
M&M