Random hugs from strangers?
Today I was shopping. It's summer and I needed some khaki shorts and flip-flops and whatnot. So I went to a local mall to look for some at Aeropostale (to my dismay, all the shorts were at least $40...thanks a heap Aero)
Anyways, so I was shopping along, totally unassumingly when this strange teenage girl of about 14 or 15 came up to me and said "Just so you know, I love your glasses." She was with a group of her giggly friends.
"Umm...okay." I said, simpering. I wasn't sure what to make of this encounter.
But that wasn't the end of the conversation, "Do you like hugs?" the girl said.
I had seen people on YouTube or wherever doing this sort of this on the streets, kindly holding a sign saying something like 'free hugs' in sharpie on a busy intersection and I thought it was a warm if not a little eccentric gesture.
But now I was completely flabbergasted, "Umm...that's okay" I said stammeringly.
She obviously didn't comprehend what I had said because she proceeded to give me a hug. I was taken aback by this. I wasn't really offended or flattered. I mean I was flattered that she complimented me but the hug seemed a little over-the-top.
"You can call me Jelly!" the girl told me after I had taken several steps back.
"Umm...Okay" I said, surely looking utterly humiliated.
Then the outspoken girl's curly-haired friend spoke, "You don't know him do you?"
Was this all a setup?
"I do now." she replied.
I have several questions about this little public interaction:
1. Has this ever happened to you?
2. Have you ever been the giver of the hugs in this type of situation?
3. Do you think it's wierd to give 'free hugs'?
4. Am I totally heinous for being apalled at this?
After doing some Googling, I found that giving free hugs is no longer advocated by a few lonely individuals. No. There is actually a 'Free Hug Campaign'. They have t-shirts. They have a song. It's on iTunes. They have been on Oprah.
Yeah.
Please get back to me.
-Jack.
(Click here for the Free Hugs site)
Labels: awkward situations, free hugs, khaki shorts, shopping
This entry was posted
on Sunday, May 31, 2009 at 8:19 PM.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
May 31, 2009 at 10:57 PMThis has never happened to me, I would never do this, put them on the spot, I would offer it on the sidewalk or something, without putting them on the spot. And no, I don't think your totally heinous for being apalled at this, it's a little weird, and JELLY? lol.
June 2, 2009 at 1:51 AM
Hi Jack,
Yes free hugs have been happening for the past six years in the UK - I set up random huggers Day, free hugs offered to complete strangers, by random huggers on Random Huggers Day which is the first Sunday in May, and then also any other day a group of random huggers get together to give away free hugs. It really is a fantastic thing to do, it's a huge feel good factor for the huggers and the huggee - you can see some of the feedback on our website. Whilst its a lot of fun it also means a great deal to some people, like the woman who had been diagnosed with cancer two days before begin hugged - she really appreciated a very long hug. Then there's the widow who said she hadn't had a good hug for years - she kept coming back for more. The thing is we don't force people to have a hug, they only get one if they want it. It is a very moving experience. We've got two clips on you tube which I find very moving too - have a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbXfTJwrljk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Iw0MCAaojc
Big hugs to you
Mayella
www.randomhuggers.com
June 6, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Hi Mayella.
Thanks for reading and sharing!
:)
»
Post a Comment