FREE HUGS!
Consider me bizarre or goofy. You are entitled to your opinion. I had a superb experience standing in Little Five Points carrying my hand made “Free Hugs” sign. At first I walked down Euclid, receiving embraces from many passersby. A group of beautiful bohemian women seated in the “park” at the intersection of Moreland and Euclid spotted me from twenty feet away and ran full speed, leaping into my arms. One gal in this group told me I was doing a great service and I knew I’d picked the best location to satisfy my goal. I walked down Euclid, scoping out a good place to stop before settling on a post near the street at the intersection by the park. I received at least 100 hugs, probably approaching 250, with multiple repeat customers. Vagabonds, shoppers, street kids, tourists, musicians, the employees of Corner Tavern all smiled, waved, laughed, flirted, hugged, and questioned my motives. I received affection from cats and dogs, homeless drifters and posh urbanites. Under the supervision of her mother, a girl roughly between age 5 and 7 got a short squeeze. One person jumped out of their car while at the stop light, ran to get a hug and then drove off. Individuals with professional camcorders and various cameras (from cell phone to serious) captured a bit of my activity.
Group hugs were plentiful and numbered among my favorites. One such group hug was sort of a huddle, and a person jokingly stated we should all shout “Tigers!” as we disbanded so several participants actually did so. I acquired groupies, a number of individuals that appreciated my practice so much they offered hugs to strangers as well. They shouted and advertised to the best of their ability without a sign. Although I’m glad people wanted to participate, I fear that approaching a group for a hug was both intimidating, and due to the appearance of my joiners, possibly limited the number of demographics I could appeal to.
When met with inquiries, I stated that I was in need of a hug earlier, that I had had a rough day. This was often met with “OH! You get another hug!” I had one person ask if I was conducting a sociology experiment. People often commented that I should charge, accept tips, or that they were struck by the fact I was not asking for money. One person asked if I was a pickpocket, to which I responded, “Are you?” I made it a point to leave my cell phone and valuables in my scooter so as to avoid the possibility of theft.
Now, many people went out of their way to ignore me, or passed once, passed twice, passed a third time before getting up the nerve to hug me (or perhaps buying time until they did not have to wait in a line). People who worked at some of the nearby shops just stared, pointed, or joked amongst themselves but did not directly interact with me.
A lady named Veronica who said she had spotted me when driving past had a recorder and conducted an interview for WSB radio. Veronica asked a few questions and I was grateful I had familiarized myself with the Free Hug Campaign. Many people asked for details in regard to my vague “rough day” but I refused to discuss my problems with anyone. The recording included several reactions and compliments on my hugging. I look forward to hearing it tomorrow via the website, although my voice is rather raspy.
I worried about my sore throat (which I think is a result of strain and not ailments) discouraging potential huggers so I did not speak often. I kept quiet so much so that a number of people asked if I was a mute. Additional concern for being approachable and pleasant resulted in painstaking care of how well I smelled, the scent of my clothing and hair being crucial. Also, I consciously decided against wearing headphones or sunglasses.
A few people offered me cigarettes, one traveling musician gave me an un-open can of beer which I passed along to a groupie. I was mostly grateful for the hugs. I received a surprise/scare hug from a repeat customer that seriously caught me off guard and only one person tried to kiss me.
When I decide to hand out Free Hugs again I will dress warmly (I decided against wearing the coat so I would not appear to be concealing dangerous materials- the short skirt was poor judgment), start earlier in the day, recruit assistance and aim to conduct the project on a weekend when there is even more foot traffic. It caught me off guard when Veronica asked when I’d be available for hugs again, so that she could tell listeners when and where to find me. Next time I will be more prepared and probably enjoy it just as much! The numerous sincere expressions of gratitude and solid hugs caused my heart to be overjoyed and reminded me of a period in my youth when I was scolded for hugging anyone who would open their arms in response.
Group hugs were plentiful and numbered among my favorites. One such group hug was sort of a huddle, and a person jokingly stated we should all shout “Tigers!” as we disbanded so several participants actually did so. I acquired groupies, a number of individuals that appreciated my practice so much they offered hugs to strangers as well. They shouted and advertised to the best of their ability without a sign. Although I’m glad people wanted to participate, I fear that approaching a group for a hug was both intimidating, and due to the appearance of my joiners, possibly limited the number of demographics I could appeal to.
When met with inquiries, I stated that I was in need of a hug earlier, that I had had a rough day. This was often met with “OH! You get another hug!” I had one person ask if I was conducting a sociology experiment. People often commented that I should charge, accept tips, or that they were struck by the fact I was not asking for money. One person asked if I was a pickpocket, to which I responded, “Are you?” I made it a point to leave my cell phone and valuables in my scooter so as to avoid the possibility of theft.
Now, many people went out of their way to ignore me, or passed once, passed twice, passed a third time before getting up the nerve to hug me (or perhaps buying time until they did not have to wait in a line). People who worked at some of the nearby shops just stared, pointed, or joked amongst themselves but did not directly interact with me.
A lady named Veronica who said she had spotted me when driving past had a recorder and conducted an interview for WSB radio. Veronica asked a few questions and I was grateful I had familiarized myself with the Free Hug Campaign. Many people asked for details in regard to my vague “rough day” but I refused to discuss my problems with anyone. The recording included several reactions and compliments on my hugging. I look forward to hearing it tomorrow via the website, although my voice is rather raspy.
I worried about my sore throat (which I think is a result of strain and not ailments) discouraging potential huggers so I did not speak often. I kept quiet so much so that a number of people asked if I was a mute. Additional concern for being approachable and pleasant resulted in painstaking care of how well I smelled, the scent of my clothing and hair being crucial. Also, I consciously decided against wearing headphones or sunglasses.
A few people offered me cigarettes, one traveling musician gave me an un-open can of beer which I passed along to a groupie. I was mostly grateful for the hugs. I received a surprise/scare hug from a repeat customer that seriously caught me off guard and only one person tried to kiss me.
When I decide to hand out Free Hugs again I will dress warmly (I decided against wearing the coat so I would not appear to be concealing dangerous materials- the short skirt was poor judgment), start earlier in the day, recruit assistance and aim to conduct the project on a weekend when there is even more foot traffic. It caught me off guard when Veronica asked when I’d be available for hugs again, so that she could tell listeners when and where to find me. Next time I will be more prepared and probably enjoy it just as much! The numerous sincere expressions of gratitude and solid hugs caused my heart to be overjoyed and reminded me of a period in my youth when I was scolded for hugging anyone who would open their arms in response.