Hi Folks:
As we’re sure you’re all aware, tomorrow is International Free Hugs Day! Grab your markers, find a piece of cardboard and go out and hug someone!! As for us, we’ll be at our usual spot at the Homecoming Memorial by Ship Point tomorrow afternoon at some point. If you’re in the neighbourhood, stop by for a hug!
Hugs,
M&M
10 Years of Hugging
Hi Folks:
Yesterday we celebrated three anniversaries important to us, two of which are personal. On a larger scale, yesterday marked the 11th Anniversary of UN World Oceans Day! Our front door is about 300m from the ocean, and as such we’re aware of her various moods and cycles – at least on a small scale. While we subdivide and demarcate the world’s oceans, the truth is that there’s only one global ocean and that the ocean is the biggest single driver of the health of the planet. As the saying goes, “Love your Mother. Good planets are hard to find!”
Much closer to home, yesterday marked the the 17th Anniversary of Marcia’s proposal. We say “Yes!!” to each other every day. 💗
And third, yesterday marked the 9th Anniversary of our first Free Hugs session down at Victoria’s Inner Harbour. Our first session was chronicled here: Marcia’s Meanderings – Ladybugs and FREE HUGS! We both remember that day very well … first of all because we were absolutely terrified. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, and our very first Free Hug ever came from a little girl who saw our posters and came running over to us. That broke the ice for us, and who knows where we’d be without her courage and generosity?!?! We went out hugging again yesterday (our 11th session of 2019 🙂 ) so we’re now officially into our 10th year. When Adam Sawatsky and Wells Gaetz of CTV News VI did a profile on us last year they estimated we’ve shared hugs with 40,000 people. That number is beyond our comprehension, and even a quarter of that is staggering for us to consider. We do know two things: one is that we’ve shared hugs with Ambassadors from (at least) 84 countries; the second is that each hug is unique and special to us. For example, yesterday we shared hugs with Ambassadors from (to name a few) Brazil, Canada, Columbia, England, Germany, Iran, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico and the US within a two-hour period. We had the opportunity to celebrate one person’s 50th birthday, and when one gentleman indicated he couldn’t understand our posters we gave him a demonstration by hugging each other – then shared hugs with him and his family! Over the years we’ve shared hugs with many different people, a number of dogs, two bearded dragons, a hitchhiking robot, a Storm Trooper, a velociraptor and a Frost Princess… so far! Kindness is a simple gift that we can all share with each other. It costs nothing and doubles with each sharing. Remember to hug someone you love today. Or a stranger. Or, preferably, both!!
Hugs,
M&M
You’re invited to our first ever book reading and signing at Victoria’s Indigo Kids section of their store at Mayfair Mall! Must dash… the throne is calling!!
Hugs,
Marcia, Mike and the Rainbow Mouse family!!
Hi Folks:
As last Sunday was Mother’s Day, after a wonderful brunch with family we went out hugging (of course). It continues to amaze us that in one day we can meet and share hugs with people from as close as Victoria and as far as Australia, France, Iran, Italy and Uruguay (to name a few). We’ve already shared hugs with Ambassadors from 22 countries this year (at least 83 countries in total, so far) and we’re only just getting started! We also hugged our very first Frost Princess!! (She gives wonderfully warm hugs).
Hi Folks:
Yesterday marked the beginning of Random Acts of Kindness week, so of course we went out hugging!! The credit for the saying goes to Anne Herbert, who in 1985 suggested committing “random kindness and senseless acts of beauty†in her book, “Compassion 101.†Since then the idea has taken on a life of its own, but it needs all of us to keep it alive! It need not be difficult or complicated. Kindness is always a good idea! However, if you’re looking for some ideas, be sure to check out the Random Acts of Kindness.org site and their sister site, PassitOn.com. Great stories and resources, including kindness kits for teachers, can also be found at the Ripple Kindness Project site.
Take the opportunity to be kind today! And tomorrow. And… you might just find it growing on you. As for our continuing hugging adventures, so far this year we’ve shared hugs with Ambassadors from 12 countries (this is our 10th year; so far we’ve hugged people from at least 82 countries in total) and yesterday we shared our first hugs with visitors from Canada’s Nunavut territory! They didn’t seem to mind the absence of -50°C temperatures. 🙂
Hugs,
M&M
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 →
Hi Folks:
As we close out 2018, many photographers choose to offer their best 10 or 12 images of the year. We did something similar with our 2019 Photo Calendars post, but we wanted to offer our favourite images from the year as well. Perhaps not coincidentally, they were both featured in our upcoming calendar.
Marcia’s first:
Victoria is known as the city of flowers, and Marcia loves to do flower macros. The timing on this one allowed her to capture some of the morning’s moisture as well, and if you look in the spheres you can see continuing reflections of the flowers!
And Mike’s:
This is a composite image of 30 images, made on the trail near the Othello Tunnels outside of Hope, BC. Fortunately it was a relatively windless day, so the images stacked together added to the sense of flow in the water without too much movement in the leaves on shore.
Creating a retrospective is a worthwhile exercise for every photographer. We went through over 12,000 images to choose the 12 for our calendar images! With digital it’s easy to shoot a thousand images a day, but how many of them are your best work?
Now go out and make some images!
Hugs,
M&M
Good afternoon!
Last Saturday the Rainbow Mouse family was at Coles, Tillicum Mall for a book signing event, and one of the first people to come to the table was a lovely woman who purchased a book and went to pay for it before having it autographed. When she returned, a young girl was standing at the table with her brother and her dad, who was about to buy the book for his daughter. The lady gifted the book to the girl, gave the receipt to the man and promptly walked away! Congratulations to Callysta for the magical arrival of her book, thanks to her dad for promising to pay it forward, and extra special thanks to the anonymous (and generous) donor! Whoever you are, dear woman … your act of kindness was truly precious!
Callysta and Marcia, image © Coles, Tillicum Mall
The Rainbow Mouse family will be at Coles, Westshore Town Centre this Saturday (November 10) for another signing; come by to buy a book (which I’ll happily autograph), free stickers, free colouring pages, and free hugs! Who knows what magic we can conjure up together!
In Light and Laughter,
Marcia.
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
Good afternoon, everyone!!
As the author of The Adventures of Rainbow Mouse and A Year in the Life of a Bus-Traveling Poet, one of my favourite things to do is to meet with fellow authors and readers of all ages!!
To that end, I am excited to announce that I have two book signings coming up this month: September 8th at Coles on the lower level of Tillicum Mall, and September 22nd at the Coles store at Westshore Town Centre. Both events are 11-4. If you’re in the Victoria area, please stop by. In addition to being able to purchase my books (and I’ll be more than happy to dedicate them for you) there will be plenty of laughter, free stickers, free colouring pages and plenty of Free Hugs!!
Marcia and the Rainbow Mouse team.
P.S. If you’re not able to make the signing events, my books are available at Coles, several other local stores and through our website. I’ll be more than happy to sign books for you with my special crystal pen!! (ssshhh…)
And if you’re a teacher or librarian who would like me to come and do a book reading for your class, I’d be delighted! Please contact me and we’ll set something up. 🌞