Hi Folks:
This is our 10th year of hugging Victoria residents and tourists alike, and even though October’s weather has become a little drizzly, this has been our busiest year ever! We’ve had so many amazing moments during our hugging sessions – many already recorded in various posts, but we still have new ones all the time. Thought we should gather a few together and share them with you: Continue Reading →
Hi Folks:
A wonderful gift from our friend Glennis. We are both awed and honoured!
Free Hugs
_________Free hugs…
by the edge of the Harbour
on a Summery Sunday.
Open arms
that have
crossed oceans and continents.Arms that…
have cradled infants,
fought wars,
prayed
and driven cars.Arms that…
have held ice cream cones,
have stolen
and given
and written letters of love.Arms that…
are strong,
tanned…
frail arms.Arms that…
swim in warm lakes,
held books,
planted crops
and picked flowers.Arms that…
have loved,
felt hate,
rested
and toiled.Arms reaching out
for a free hug
by the edge of the Harbour.Free hugs…
imprinted on the soul,
carried home
to
every corner of the world.How beautiful.
Glennis Taylor, 2019
Hugs back!!
M&M
Hi Folks:
When we were out hugging for CarFree YYJ, a young woman named Céline saw us standing there with our posters as she passed by. Last Saturday when we were out at our usual location by the Homecoming Memorial, we were lucky enough to run into her again, and she stopped to share a hug with us! And… she mentioned that she and her friend were going to be offering Free Hugs the next day!! How could we refuse such an offer? Of course, we couldn’t. And didn’t. 🙂
Linda, Marcia and Céline
We didn’t want to monopolize their time (or deprive others of their hugging opportunities) but we did have a couple of minutes to chat with them and their friend Alan. As with us they were originally uncertain, and, as with us, those feelings quickly gave way to a range of emotions: that people would thank them for what they were offering, that they would feel appreciation, joy, and love. We live in a society where something as simple as human touch is denied to so many. We did warn them, though – offering Free Hugs can become addictive!
Many thanks to Céline and Linda and Alan for sharing a little bit of their world with us, and for making our world a little better place.
Grouphug!!
M&M
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
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:
At one of our hugging sessions last summer, one person who stopped to speak with us asked if we were familiar with the five love languages. We weren’t, but we were thinking French, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish … However, that’s not to what he was referring. Instead, he was referencing the book written by Gary Chapman, “The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts“.
In essence the five love languages are:
Hugging ticks several of those boxes. 🙂 If you’re interested in learning more about what Gary has to offer, check out the link above!
Hugs,
M&M
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 →
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