Free Hug day

This year at CIY's summer conference they gave us a somewhat cheesy, almost cliche challenge. They made Thursday of that week "Free Hug Day." Now, Thursday was also extended rec day, so it would mean carrying that challenge off of the CIY campus.

My first reaction was that it would be alot like the welcome time at church on Sundays, when everyone gives (in this case a hug, but in most churches a handshake) to other people out of a felt obligation. But I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it very well accepted on campus, but also off campus. We took the kids to a local mall, and saw several other groups there, and saw alot of "Free Hugs" signs and random hugs being given. We even had some of our students give a Marine recruiter a hug....now THAT was funny!

But what really jumped out at me the most is the impact it seemed to have on people. Now granted, for anyone that was there when it was made as a challenge they understood why they were getting hugs, but for the people not there, it was something out of the ordinary for them. The catalyst for the challenge was something that the speaker had seen a friend do in a big city. He stood on a street corner with a big "Free Hugs" sign and a cooler of bottle water, and just wanted to see the reaction he got. It was video taped, so we were able to see the reactions as well, and he got everything from handshakes, to quasi-hugs to all out bear hugs, and lots of reactions. The idea was that we live in a very "hands off" culture in America. Especially guys! And just a random hug is, for most people, out of the ordinary. Now, I grew up in a "hugger" kind of family. Most of my relatives are Irish and German, and hugging is just a natural part of us, but I have been told several times, by different people, that I give off a "hands off" kind of, I don't know, vibe? I was surprised the first time I heard that because it was not something I was aware of, and it was not something that was intentional. I did know that alot of people are uncomfortable with hugs and so I changed my way of reacting to people to accomodate that, but I hadn't realized it had gotten to a point where i was giving off the same "vibe" that had caused me to change in the first place. But there is just something about a hug...a genuine one, not a forced or awkward one, that can instantly change your mood. I think alot of it has to do with the lack of touch kind of culture we live in. And that was evident as I watched the students on their "free hug" mission in the mall. The people that accepted the hugs...their faces lit up...even if it was just to laugh at the randomness of it, it brightened their day.

Anyway, all this to say, maybe we need to have more "Free Hugs Days" and less "Hands off" days! If you're one of the people who has gotten the "hands off" vibe from me, I apologize, and it was not intended. If you give me a hug, I will not bite, lol.