Free Hugs in Vancouver

Stardate: Friday the 13^th Robson Street boldly driving in downtown Vancouver.

If you are not familiar with Vancouver, Robson is the ‘it’ street in the city. A busy busy place full of delicious people and all things pretty.

Recession or not,  the Friday before Valentine’s Day is even crazier – the sidewalks are jammed, traffic is crawling and like everyone else I’m in a rush to get somewhere when out of the corner of my eye I see a small commotion.

Three young women and men maybe still teens, are standing below the steps of the Art Gallery  holding hand written signs that say ‘FREE HUGS’. 

I watched people suspiciously read the sign, do a double take asking “are you serious?” then grab on for a great big, long heartfelt hug. Everyone was getting into it; young people, old people even a dog got a hug. What really got me was the look of pure joy on their faces as they walked away.

I couldn’t help but wondering how many of these people had not been hugged in months, how many are alone or away from family or without friends.

Boy do we need more of this.  The world is turned upside down with financial doom and gloom everywhere you look and here are these wonderful people offering hugs to anyone and everyone. Who were they and what inspired them to do this?

I asked my friends and store clerks  if they had heard about it; I checked the local papers and TV but no mention of the hug fest. Each person I spoke to was inspired and got ‘goose bumps’ but no one knew what it was or why this was happening. So I wiki’d and googled it.

It turns out it was Free Hugs Day which began 00:01 on Friday February 13 until 00:00 (midnight) on Saturday February 14 in Vancouver.

Wikipedia, Google or Oprah

 Free Hugs Day is a social movement started  back in 2004 in Australia by a man who calls himself Juan Mann who just wanted to cheer people up.  (I’ve added him to my list of Wise Men)

This movement  is now an international event in 80 countries!

 

Free Hugs Italy

I have to say this is the first time I really understand what it means when they say ‘movement’ because I truly felt the hug just by seeing the joy others experienced by it. 

It made my Valentine’s Day special and I reached out to ‘hug’ as many people as I could in person, by phone, email and text.

The next scheduled International Free Hug is July 2009 but why wait – start a movement and go hug someone you love today.