Rainbow hugs

How many times a year do you see a rainbow? I just saw a perfect one, with the most vibrant colours, reaching all the way across the sky, and hugging it quite perfectly. I stood in the car park of Somerfield (clutching my shopping bags) just gazing - and getting in the way of people trying to exit said car park to get on with their evening. They couldn't quite see what I was seeing and if they had, they would have stopped too and marvelled.

Mind you, I was already in a pretty mind blown state having spent the lunchtime period hugging random strangers on the streets of York.

Free Hugs. That's what we were about today. Me and fellow coach/soul-friend Jules (Wonder) Wyman. Inspired by the Free Hugs Campaign, a quiet revolution to change the world. Think random acts of kindness. Think "just doing it because we can". You get the picture. We bought some apple green tee-shirts from M&S (a fiver! bargain...) and had them printed proudly with the title "Qualified Hugger" in a rather fetching comic sans serif type. I asked my super talented nephews, Joe and David Dunwell, to come along and busk and they did us proud and made us fly (and sing and dance). We hand made some banners, printed off some leaflets about the benefits (oh, there are many!) of hugging, sorted out our permission from the York City Fathers, and just turned up by the fountain in Parliament Square, ready, willing and able to hug anyone who wanted to be hugged.

There was a little apprehension just at the start. Would the great British reserve get in the way? Would people misinterpret our motives? Would we get rained on? The latter was the most worrying of all - it has been a rainy summer, after all.

We sat at the fountain and sipped our take-out coffee and wondered how to get started. Oh look, said Jules, there's Harry Grayson, he might like a hug. Harry Grayson is famous. Everyone knows that. I don't, because I don't watch TV, and even if I did, I am useless at spotting celebrities. (Ask Marie, my Living Right Now partner - I was in touching distance of Meryl Streep recently in New York for heaven's sake!) Actually, I thought Jules said Larry Grayson, who I do remember. Anyhoo. Harry/ Larry gave us the impetus. We stood up with our banners and we were up and running.

The next sentence is one of those "Reader, I married him" ones...

Reader, we WAS hugged. Straight away, no messing around. No British reserve, no motive misinterpretation. Just big smiles and open arms.

It went on like that for two hours and 160 leaflets. Well, we ran out of leaflets pretty quickly. People came back and brought their friends and then their friends came back...with more friends. We had kids, dogs, old people, young people, happy people, sad people, dancing hugs, flying hugs, gentle hugs, wistful hugs, playful hugs, a very, very few innuendo type hugs, grateful hugs, excited hugs, group hugs, solo hugs, spontaneous nothing-to-do-with-us hugs, sweet hugs, bear hugs, cynical hugs, wheelchair hugs, walking with-a-stick hugs, teenage hugs, birthday hugs, tourist hugs, couples-in-love hugs, rainy hugs, suited-and-booted hugs, goth hugs, thin hugs, curvy hugs, tall hugs, short hugs, raving fan hugs, baby hugs, professional hugs, just-for-the-hell-of-it hugs....

I don't think there is a hug we didn't have.

Rainbow hugs. Many hues. Each as individual as the hugger.

The world is crying out for love. And rainbows. (When was the last time for you?)

You can't have rainbows (or love) without sunshine and rain. We had both today, and our tee-shirts got both sun-blessed and rain-spattered.

Life is a rich mixture.

We can embrace it all. 

Comments

[Andrew Leigh]

I shall take a big hug without any trouble the next time I see you Jenni.

Sounds like you brought a lot of joy to the streets of York. Brilliant.

[Tim Sundown]

Now THAT IS impressive! :o)

Tim

[Carolyn F]

you lucky hugger! what a moment to have created and who knows what chain reactions you will have inspired? BIG GRIN!!

[ali]

How fab and utterly huggerly! (in the face of the pun challenge thrown down there by my esteemed colleague Carolyn who could resist? )

xx ali