How many hugs have you had today?

"We need 4 hugs a day for survival.

We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance.

We need 12 hugs a day for growth."
Virginia Satir

I just came across this video the other day. I was amazed by this concept. How did I not know about this? It is nothing new. In fact I think it’s a couple of years old. Maybe I like it so much, because by nature, I am a hugger. Hugging makes me feel good. And most of the time, it makes the person I am hugging feel good too. At least I hope so anyways.

I actually cried(happy tears) while watching this. And then I had to watch it again.

I hope you take the 3 minutes and 39 seconds to watch this. Even if you don’t read all of this post and just watch the video…I promise it will make you smile.

Didn’t this make you feel good?

I love the energy in this video. It made me smile and feel so good. I just had to share this with you.

After watching this a couple of times, I went to this web site, freehugscampaign.org where I found all this information.

Sometimes, a hug is all that we need.

Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man who's sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.
In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.
As this symbol of human hope spread across the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring.

How it all started:

“I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.”

“Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.”

“So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.
And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me.”

“The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.”

“Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.”

Juan Mann

Thank you Juan Mann for starting such a beautiful campaign. Thank you for not giving up even when they tried to ban hugging. Thank you Sick Puppies for a great song with wonderful words.

Reading the story behind this, touched my heart. I think about the risk this man took in starting this campaign. And how contagious the hugging was…I think about the people in this video, who joined in and stood with “Hugs for free” signs…what courage they had…and how blessed and over flowing they must have felt when it was over.

This made me think of all the times in my life when I was alone and would have done almost anything to have someone hug me. I felt like the leper, who no one wanted to touch. Even though I was the one that had put myself in this position of being alone, I still needed a hug, even though I was too proud to ask for one.

I remember the first time I was hugged in the healing sort of way. There was nothing sexual about it. He was basically a stranger. He was the spirit filled priest that came to visit me when I was in drug treatment almost 25 years ago. I remember like it was yesterday, how it felt in those moments to be hugged. He was without a doubt my heavenly visitor…my Jesus with skin on.

I also think about all the people I have known in my life time. The many desperate people that have been alone and no one to hug them. I think of the times I have hugged the desperate, the sad, the lonely, and the depressed. I am glad that I was taught to hug them.

I think about the people that have been damaged by the wrong kinds of hugs and no longer want anyone to touch them…or hug them. This breaks my heart into pieces.

I think about all the people out there right now, that need a hug but have no one to hug them. This makes me sad. I hope a stranger hugs them today and they walk away feeling better.

Did you know….

Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy, and gives the person hugged an emotional boost. You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for maintenance, and twelve for growth. A hug makes you feel good. The skin is the largest organ we have and it needs a great deal of care. A hug can cover a lot of skin and gives the message that you care. It is also a form of communication. It can say things you don't have words for. The nicest thing about a hug is that you usually can't give one without getting one.  Author Unknown

Even doctors recommend it…

A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION FOR HUGGING:

by Mark Katz, M.D.

"How important are hugging and physical and emotional contact for people affected by life - threatening illnesses? In my work, I have found that people who receive nurturing maintain a better outlook on their situation -- and historically, positive attitude is an important factor in long-term survival. Hugging and physical contact, make a difference in a person's frame of mind, and may help their medical condition. Best of all, hugging has no side effects and does not require a trip to the doctor.

Hugging is a good thing!

"Hugging is healthy: it helps the body's immunity system, it keeps you healthier, it cures depression, it reduces stress, it induces sleep, it's invigorating, it's rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side effects, and hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.

Hugging is all natural: it is organic, naturally sweet, it has no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and is 100% wholesome.

Hugging is practically perfect: there are no movable parts, no batteries to replace, no periodic check-ups, has low energy consumption, high energy yield, is inflation-proof, non-fattening, has no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, is theft-proof, non-taxable, non-polluting, and is, of course, fully refundable."

-- Sharon Lindsey  -- 

I have no clue to who Sharon Lindsey is but I found this quote by her and thought she summed up the benefits of hugging quite well.

Whoever you are, Sharon Lindsey, thank you.

I wish that I could give each one of you a hug right now. Since I can’t…a virtual one will have to do.

((((((HUGS))))))

I hope each one of you, have at least one person to hug today. I hope you get in your quota of hugs before the day is through!

XXOO Lori