RSS

Wonder

25 May

0 New Hugs

Some days I just am not feeling it. Yesterday was one of those days. I was in a great mood and had quite a few opportunities for new hugs I just didn’t take them. I always find those days to be so odd. What is it about the day that would cause me to turn from opportunities? Obviously it is just not meant to be, but man I would love to get inside my brain and… oh wait. Oh well, I try not to dwell on it too much and move on to the next opportunities.

Today I learned that a friend went to Brookwood Vet where she and her son got some hugs. She called to tell me because she thought it was because I was rubbing off on them. I don’t look at it as me rubbing off on them. I look at it as it was already in them. They just wanted an excuse for it to be ok.

When it comes to strangers I feel it is important to ask, but I am telling you all from lots of experience, it will always be ok. (well, at least 98% of the time)

Please accept this blog as my virtual hug to you.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 25, 2012 in HUGS

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Excited Trepidation

23 May

4 New Hugs (1 employee at Eye Care Center, 2 family members of a friend, 1 employee at Pier 1)

Have you ever gotten something off your chest and just felt like, “Ahhhhhhhhhh”? Now imagine having that something for 25 years. I got it off my chest today on my new blog, Finding My Happy. I knew this day was coming. Even knowing made me feel so much lighter. Hence the 4 new hugs in 2 days.

What I never expected was the fear that followed. I lived my life with a demon lurking in the shadows and I am not sure how to live without it. Let me clarify. I am scared, yes. But, it’s an excited fear. I am feeling trepidation only because of the unknown, but the thought of living my life fully with nothing holding me back is exhilarating.

Look out world.

Please accept this blog as my virtual hug to you.

 

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 23, 2012 in HUGS

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Updates

22 May

It’s ok, you are in the right place. I felt it was about time for the change. This blog is no longer about me (although, don’t worry, I will still be regularly sharing my hug stories). It is now about creating a positive community where we can all share stories of love, hope and hugs. A few of our regular bloggers can be found at the sidebar on the right. I hope to add a few more of you in time. I firmly believe that language is power. The more we talk about hugs, the more we talk about love and hope, the better our world can become. If you are interested in joining our community, please email me at melinda@myyearofhugs.com and I will happily send you an invitation. In the meantime, if you are interested in continuing to follow me I have created a new blog at Finding My Happy. Trust me the first post is going to be a doozy. You will not want to miss it.

I look forward to the future and all it has to behold. Please accept this blog as my virtual hug to you.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 22, 2012 in HUGS

 

Crossing Language Barriers

21 May

3 New Hugs (1 Veterinarian, 1 Vet Tech, 1 guy at the gas station)

How was my weekend you ask? Why, it was pretty amazing, thank you very much. My poor little Mabel (who we seem to have adopted by default) was spayed last Wednesday. That’s not the amazing part. Saturday morning she woke up crying so pitifully and having such a hard time getting around that I decided to bring her back to Brookwood Vet to get checked for infection. Again, not the amazing part. Her fever was a little high so I got some antibiotics for her and more pain medicine. Afterward I got to spend a few minutes talking with the Vet that helped Mabel. I never expected in my life to own a small dog and told her as much. She then shared the story of how she ended up with her own small dog. The loving way she spoke of how her dog was clearly previously misunderstood and not given credit for how smart she was was beautiful. She then shared the moment when her dog and her finally understood each other. She said it just clicked in a moment for both of them. The Vet finally recognized just how smart her dog was and the dog realized that her owner believed how smart she was. Tears creeped in to my eyes because I felt honored to hear such a private, special moment between a dog and its owner. I just couldn’t help myself I had to ask her for a hug. We hugged for an extended period of time and one of the Vet tech’s walked in and said, “Oh, is that one of your new hugs?” I laughed and said, “yes” as we explained together about my blog. Then, before I left the Vet tech’s son showed up so I was called back in for another new hug! My reason for being there was not one I would have chosen, but what a special way to start my weekend.

The next day the whole family was getting ready to see a friend who was only in town for the weekend (because of the WWE Pay Per View Event!). On our way to meet him we stopped to get gas. Sometimes these things don’t turn out quite as simple as they should. The pump I tried using was broken and before I could move to a different pump the employee explained I could stay where I was but use the pump on the other side. I just needed to stretch the pump around the machine. He helped me with it, but as I began pumping the gas a gentleman and his family appeared at the machine I was using. When he got out of his truck the attendant explained what I was doing and why I had his pump. He looked over and smiled at me. He then said in very broken english, “nice truck”. I thanked him and then he proceeded to say something else that I didn’t understand. I think I asked him to repeat himself 5 times and he patiently did. Finally I realized he was saying, “nice truck and nice girl”. I am still not positive but I think he was talking about me. I smiled warmly and thanked him. When I finally finished pumping my gas I thanked him again for his patience and asked him for a hug. He totally didn’t understand me, but fortunately body language is easier to understand than words. I gave him a big hug and walked away so thankful for the fact that hugging can cross language barriers.

Please accept this blog as my virtual hug to you.

 

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 21, 2012 in HUGS

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Finding The Extraordinary In The Ordinary

18 May

1 new hug (1 employee at Teavana)

So, today started out pretty ordinary. You know, running late to get somewhere, screaming at the kids because of it. Pretty standard stuff. The plan was to bring a church friend to an appointment, visit with a friend, then head home. Yeah, that is exactly how it worked out. Only WAY better.

It was awesome getting to know my church friend better. That made for an incredibly enjoyable 30 minute ride to the appointment. Turns out my good friend was only about 10 minutes away so I spent a fantastic 25 minutes with her and her 1 year old baby. (Is there really anything more joyous than a 1 year old so full of awe and wonder?) I would have stayed longer but I wanted my boys to eat lunch before heading home otherwise it would have gotten late and hungry boys = cranky boys. We stopped at Wendy’s and rather than eating at the restaurant which would have caused our church friend’s lunch to get very cold before bringing it to her we agreed to eat it where she was. That way when she was ready to leave we would be ready for her with a nice hot lunch waiting. We pulled up to a parking spot right next to a grassy area where we proceeded to have an impromptu picnic. We sat in the grass, talked, laughed, hugged and in the midst of it all I paused to bathe in the glorious moment. It was so simple yet one of the best times I can remember having with my boys.

As our friend was ready to leave she offered me money for gas. I politely declined insisting that she gave me such a gift today already. That picnic would not have happened if it hadn’t been for her. Our perfectly ordinary day did not end when we dropped her off. We decided to enjoy a little time at the mall where the boys were so well behaved as we walked hand in hand in hand through the mall, playing at the play area, visiting the Lego store and the Disney store. All in all I think this may be one of my favorite days ever. It’s amazing how extraordinary ordinary can be.

Please accept this blog as my virtual hug to you.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 18, 2012 in HUGS

 

Tags: , , ,

A Day Of Firsts

16 May

4 New Hugs (1 waste disposal worker, 1 gas station attendant, 2 kindergarten teachers at Partnership Elementary)

Well, even though my year is over…even though I spent an entire 365 days hugging people, today I had 2 firsts! Before I tell you about those though I want to share another story of hugs at the waste disposal site. There were 2 employees there that I hug regularly and one new employee. As I began my round of hugs I heard my cigar smoking friend say, “I love when this pretty girl stops by.” Aww… Who knew I would ever look forward to bringing my trash to the dump?

My bumper sticker (it has the website at the bottom of it)

While running errands I needed to stop and get gas. I drove up next to a man and woman talking with each other. As I got out of my truck, I realized the woman was the gas station attendant and she started walking around the back of my truck. She stopped and I watched as she began reading my bumper sticker. She then read it out loud and exclaimed, “Yes. 3 times!” What a great opportunity that was for me. “Can I make it 4?” She was the first person I hugged because of my bumper sticker. We then proceeded to talk about hugs and the people that we know. Another amazing connection made.

Then this evening hubby and I went to 5 yr old’s kindergarten orientation. (yes, kindergarten, please don’t make me talk about it anymore I think I am going to cry) I had a few questions for the teachers that hosted the orientation after it was over so hubby and I made our way over. After they finished answering the questions I leaned in for a hug from the first one without asking permission for the first time. *GASP* I know, right?! I should know better. She was kind of taken back and stammered, “oh, you are a hugger.” I said, “Yes, I am” and proceeded to hug the other teacher next (after asking permission). Hubby and I then headed outside where he began laughing at me. “Wow, I’ve never seen you do that before.” me: “What?” him: “Hug without asking.” more laughter. Well, at least he got a big kick out of it and I guarantee they won’t forget who I am. Welcome to kindergarten baby.

Please accept this blog as my virtual hug to you.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 16, 2012 in HUGS

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Honesty in my Town

15 May

Greetings dear reading bloggers;

I like to share something exceptional that very few found now a days, yes, I am talking about to be honesty!

This past weekend, i wen to a shopping market to buy my groceries and after surrending $100+ in coupons, I was so happy that I save a lot of money. My son was more than happy, he was jumping all over the parking lot and telling the people, we just save $117 with coupons!! :) we just put all the recyclable bags in the back of the car, got in the car and went home.

In our way out to a friend’s house ( 30 minutes after we got home), I received a call in my cell phone and a lady ask for a lady with my full name (I have a first name, middle name and 2 last names). It is very weird that somebody ask for me like that, just banks and the IRS has my complete-full name. I said, yes, that is me, how can I help?. she said, another person (a lady) found your credit card at a shopping market and wants to returned to you. My hands where directly to my walet and find NO CREDIT CARD! I said: Oh God! Thank you for call me! She gave me the lady phone number, I call her, and gave me directions in how to get to her home. It was very close to my friend’s home.

In less than 5 minutes I was there, I met her husband and I was so thankfull that they returned the credit card. I ask how much I owe you? Can I do something for you? He said no, don’t worry! I told him: “You know what, you are a honest people and now a days is very hard to find one, thank you again!” and I ask Him if I can give him a hug? and He was surprised and at the same time He said yes, you are special to us too honey. So I gave him a hug and another one for his wife that was in bed. (He told me went to the grocery to the pharmacy for her meds because she wasn’t feeling well). I remind him, to call me if they need anything because I owe them one. He said sure I will ( I gave Him my full info)

With this blog, I want to express that I am very thankfull that we have in the world at least one honest people and is in the same town that I live. How many stories have you found like mine? How many people have you found in your live that are honest? Lets make this number bigger every day and part of your daily routine. Be honest with yourself, with your family, with your neighbor, with the stranger, with the homeless, with your soul!

Hugs for all of you!

Sharon.

 
4 Comments

Posted by on May 15, 2012 in HUGS

 

Making Connections

14 May

3 new hugs, 1 new friend at Smith’s Nursery, 2 new friends at Kanki Steakhouse

What a weekend! Not only was it Mother’s Day, but I had some great hugging experiences I couldn’t wait to tell you about.

On Saturday I received a call from Smith’s Nursery (where I get my fresh vegetables every week) because they were concerned over the fact that I hadn’t shown up to pick up my box on Wednesday. I completely forgot. Completely. I couldn’t believe it, how could I forget my veggies? Well, if you remember, that was the day of my ultrasound to find out if anything was wrong with my belly. (Turns out there isn’t! Woooo Hoooo) Needless to say I was a little preoccupied. Funny thing was that on Friday I thought about my veggies and wondered if I had picked them up and decided that I HAD! Ugh. Guess I was not exactly clear headed all week. Anyway, there were a few things that were so amazing about them calling me. The first was my husband’s amazement and joy at the way my hug journey has affected people. He took a moment to grab me by the shoulders, stared in to my eyes and made me think about the fact that on a busy Saturday they took the time out to call me because they were concerned about me. Wow. It is pretty amazing the connections that can be made when we take the time to create them in the first place.

So, I show up to pick up my veggies and there was someone working that I had never seen before. She seemed overwhelmed by how busy they were and struggled with finding some of the items that were missing from my box. After she was able to assemble it all I turned to her and asked for a hug. She looked up at me with the most joyful look and I was sure she was going to say something about me being the hug lady. I figured she heard about me through the grapevine. (get it, grapevine at the farm…sigh. ok, maybe it wasn’t that good) After the hug she turned and looked up at me again and it dawned on me that she didn’t know about me. She had a puzzled look on her face so I smiled back at her and her face radiated sheer joy. I think this was one of those times I was meant to forget my box because I was meant to hug her. I am so glad I did.

Yesterday we went to Kanki for lunch. It’s a Japanese steak house where they cook the food in front of you while you sit with a table of about 8 other people. There was a mother and daughter sitting to the left of me. They took turns invading on my family’s conversations and keeping me preoccupied with stories of family that lived in another state. As much as I would have preferred to enjoy just my family’s company, it was clear that they were looking for more. I happily obliged and learned that we had some things in common. (I may even run in to them at church one day!) I gave them both warm hugs when the dinner was over. I love my family, but they are here with me every day all day. Yesterday for a span of 2 hours my time was needed elsewhere and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to listen to their stories.

Please accept this blog as my virtual hug to you.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 14, 2012 in HUGS

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Guest Post – I hug more. Because of a blogger on the other side of the World.

13 May

I am so thrilled to introduce my wonderful friend Shabana that lives across the globe. I have spoken of her a few times throughout my year of hugs and she asked to write a post on how my year has affected her. I love her and I know you will too.

My name is Shabana. I live in Bahrain. It’s a small island nation in the Arabian Gulf. It’s a Muslim country and societal norms dictate men and women shaking hands a taboo, let alone hugging each other. (The high school I went to has a rule that boys and girls, boys and boys, and girls and girls are forbidden to shake hands longer than 30 seconds. No, I’m not kidding.) So obviously, majority of the people here don’t hug (unless there’s been a huge calamity or someone in the family died.)  Women do the traditional air-kiss (muah-muah on either side of the cheeks in case you didn’t know) when they meet but hugging as a greeting? No way! And here I was, a closet-hugger.  I looooove hugs. I come from a family where my mom hugged us three children a lot. But the sad truth is, it stopped there. Hugs from mom. That’s it.
Which is why I thought that what Melinda was doing was so brave. I met Melinda at an online blogging forum. I was intrigued by the name of her blog- myyearofhugs.com and clicked on it. I was truly amazed to see that this lady was on a mission to hugging as many people as she could everyday, and document those hugs as well as her day, every single day, on her blog. I mean, I felt awkward hugging my friends and family and here’s this lady who asks complete strangers for hugs! I loved it!
I read her blog regularly and all the little life lessons she was learning along the way. And I really, really wanted to do something similar. (My wildest aspirations included putting up a booth giving free hugs but thoughts of the government locking me up for being so ‘open’ killed those ideas quite quickly.) I knew I had to start small. So I started hugging my family more. And friends. And soon enough, they caught on. I’m happy to say that now when  friends meet me (men included) we hug, as opposed to a dry business-like handshake which is the norm. My younger brother hugs me quite often now, which is really saying something as he’s the shyest in the family. I even send out lots of online hugs (and get many in return!). I’m trying to hug more and more people everyday and it feels fantastic! And all this is thanks to Melinda!

Shabana Feroze, a 27 year-old fashion blogger and hugger living in Bahrain. You can follow her blog at The Silver Kick Diaries, her facebook page or on twitter.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on May 13, 2012 in HUGS

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

NC Marriage Amendment

09 May

1 New Hug (1 Radiology Technician)

My heart is heavy with sadness for the rights that have been taken away from innocent people through the NC marriage amendment. I am trying to understand in what way God would find this type of judgement against other people ok. I understand that some of you may believe that marriage is defined by God as a union between one man and one woman. I respect your view. What I don’t understand is the lack of compassion toward others who may not believe the same as you.

My understanding is that God will make the ultimate judgment on everyone. What harm is coming to you in the meantime to have other people who believe differently than you have rights recognized by the government? These are not some nameless, faceless people looking to scam you out of anything. These are your neighbors, friends, perhaps even your Doctors whom you rely on with your life. In a world where all of us are just merely trying to survive, a little extra kindness towards those who are not like you wouldn’t hurt. In fact, maybe your own minds and hearts would open more fully if you allowed your need to be right not interfere with the way someone else is trying to live their life.

I am not angry, I am simply heart broken. I think I was especially hurt because of all of the kindness I have seen over the past year. I have however noticed that the county I live in was one of the few that actually voted against this amendment. I am hurt by North Carolina, but am grateful for the loving residents of my community here in Wake county.

On a side note, I had my ultrasound today. I will let you know the results when I get them. The technician seemed genuinely surprised and grateful for my hug today. *big sigh* Oh how I love that.

Please accept this blog as my virtual hug to you.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on May 9, 2012 in HUGS

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older posts
 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 570 other followers