Sunday, December 12, 2004

PS - A lighter note

So, I just had to tell you this story. When we came to ring the bell on Friday for the Salvation Army, two other grad students were there. We were taking over the next shift.

Jill, a hilarious grad student who amazes me with her courage to say anything to anyone and her ability to think of witty comebacks in a flash, was offering to give people holidays hugs after they donated money.

People would walk up, usually eyes down, feeling awkward, and put some money in the kettle. Usually Jill and Audrey would say "Happy Holidays! Thanks!" But then Jill would stand there with her arms spread out wide and say "Would you like a holiday hug?" And surprisingly, everyone said yes! And most people said it quite enthusiastically, after the three seconds it took to really register what she was offering. One girl even said "HELL yeah, I'll take a hug!" It cracked me up.

I wanted to carry on this tradition while there, but I couldn't get up the courage. I wish I could have though.

Besides make me laugh, Jill made me realize something that night. First, it's always fun to catch people by surprise and it's always great to make people smile. Second, sometimes you just need to be that real with people. Sometimes you just need a hug. Yeah, we're strangers. But, hey, you're a person and so am I, and sometimes a hug really helps. If nothing else, she definitely made the night memorable for a lot of people. How often does a stranger offer to give you a hug and how often do you feel safe enough to accept such a silly offer!

So, go out and be courageous and spunky and catch people by surprise!

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