hugs come in all shapes and sizes.

well, i went to grand haven with my sign and did what i set out to do.
i have to say, after getting there, it took me about 20 minutes to work up the nerve to go out there and stand there, and hold up that "free hugs" sign. but i was tired of this whole "not so sure thing" and being embarassed and all, so i took the band-aid approach...do it fast... don't think, grab the sign, walk out there, hold that sign high and proud, then realize what you're doing, once it's too late.
so there i stood on the corner of 2nd and washington in the middle of a sidewalk sale in grand haven, holding a sign above my head that read "free hugs." honestly, i expected that after 10 minutes of standing there i wouldn't have any hugs and i would just walk away.
but the hugs started coming almost right away, and i was really surprised. i actually got a ton of hugs, and even had a few conversations. i also had the opportunity to observe the reactions. so i will share with you a few reactions that could have come from people walking by:
first, and most common, would be people walking by would read the sign (usually out loud so whoever they were with could hear) and then smile at me, or say "cute", or laugh in a "that's funny/thats cool" way. i didn't mind this reaction cause i would just smile back, and i figured i brightened someone's day a bit.
second, would be the people that walk by, and ask me, "free hugs, huh?" and i'd nod, and then they'd keep walking. that was pretty rare though.
now for the huggers... the huggers would come in a few different ways. i got a lot of "is this for a study?" one guy refused to believe that i was out there purely just to give out some hugs. and then after discussing with him why i was out there, and proving that i was not doing a project of some sort, he wanted a free hug. a lot of people would also ask how many i'd gotten so far or if i was keeping count (which i wasn't).
then there were the people that would walk slowly, and you could just tell that they were contemplating whether or not to get that free hug. there were others that would come running across the street with arms wide open. there were the younger teenage girls that would come in groups with cameras, and there were the older ladies that were just so happy to get a hug and would stay and chat with me for a while. little kids often just stared, and it was funny to see a lot of parents say, go give her a hug, and the kids nodded no. all i could think was, you expect your kid to give this stranger a hug when you won't even get a hug. one girl wanted to, but her mom said "you can't hug another girl, you can only hug your mother." one younger teenage boy walked up to me and applauded me then gave me a hug.
i had one lady walk up to me and say, "now, don't give me a hug, but i am curious, why are you doing this?"
the most common hug, was people reading the sign, then asking me, "really?" to which i responded with the a smile and nod and me opening my arms for a hug... and they'd take the hug.
one lady had just been through four surgeries and said she'd really like a hug.
people working the booths next to me wanted hugs.

hugs all around. i never went 5 minutes without a hug. i was surprised as to how many hugs people were willing to get.
i was out there for two hours, and people just kept on stopping for hugs.

it made me happy to hear how many people were really truly grateful.

i was pretty grateful myself.

i did not expect that kind of turnout.

that's it for today.
high school musical 2 premiere tonight!!!!