Free Hugs Redux

I hate to have my picture taken. I’m already too fat, and the camera puts on 10 pounds. Or so they say.

But I had my picture taken a lot yesterday afternoon in front of the Art Institute while Ann and I participated in the Free Hugs Campaign, and so did Ann. I hope you accepted my challenge and did your own Free Hugs wherever you were.

We took the noon train downtown, and even on the train heard a college student tell her mother about her friends who would be participating in the Free Hugs Campaign. Already we were validated.

Ann was nervous, but I figured the worst that could happen was that we would be told to stop and move on. We decided that the Art Institute of Chicago would be a good place to ‘set up shop,’ so Ann stood with her Free Hugs sign in front of the northern lion by the crosswalk from the other side of Michigan Avenue. I stood at the southern lion with my sign. It was cold, but we dressed for the occasion.

My first hug was from a friend at the opera (Lulu) Tuesday night, a lucky hug from Marianne.

But my first hug yesterday was from a woman who came up and said, “I’ve seen you on television.” I told her this was my first time, and I hadn’t been on television, but she could have a hug anyway. She smiled and we hugged.

After that probably ten to fifteen percent of the people who walked by hugged me, about a hundred by the end of our two hours. Frequently one member of a couple would hug me, and not necessarily the woman. A lot of twenty-somethings hugged. I got a group hug from about eight young people while one of them took our picture. An Asian trio wanted hugs and a photo. A lot of people took photos without hugging me, and I could almost read their minds: The crazies are out the day before Thanksgiving. I suppose we were.

Most of the people who didn’t hug found something fascinating in the architecture of buildings across the street so they didn’t have to make eye contact, or just stared stonily ahead. I suspect they were the people who most needed a hug.

Others who didn’t hug told me the smile I gave them was enough. Cool. Even cops waved, and taxi drivers honked.

I hugged and chatted with people from Athens, Ohio, where I was a grad ass for a year at Ohio University. With people from Texas, who told me how friendly Chicago is. With a woman who wanted to go to the Cloud Gate sculpture (the Bean) at Millennium Park and wanted to make sure she was headed in the correct direction. With a young woman from Long Island who told me I am an activist and only wanted to shake hands, which is also fine. She thought New York was friendlier than Chicago. I don’t think I’m an activist. And I find Chicago very friendly. Moreso since the election.

Ann had a young man with his own Free Hugs sign hug her and say “Eighty-nine.” (We didn’t count. I started but forgot to continue.) Another man rushed across the street, hugged her and said, “This is the real deal.” Whatever that means.

Two young Chinese women hugged her and told her that they knew of the Free Hugs Campaign because they have it in China. They asked if she were Christian, and told her they had never met a Christian before, that they are Buddhist. Ann told them she’s an Episcopalian with Buddhist tendencies, which probably confused them.

One man, close to my age and very serious, seemed astounded by the Free Hugs Campaign. After we hugged, I told him that everyone can join, all they need is a sign, and there are no membership forms. He said that it is an important activity, “We live in perilous times.” He seemed very moved by the free hugs idea. I expect to see him with a sign some time when I’m downtown.

He was balanced, unfortunately, by a woman in her seventies with an Airedale that nipped at everyone they passed. She told me that no one would hug me because there is too much sexual abuse. Wrong.

After standing in the cold for a while, a woman came up and asked how many people I had hugged. When I told her twenty-five to thirty, she hugged me and said, “Now it’s thirty-one.” I felt warmed up.

In fact, despite the cold and not wearing gloves, I was warm the whole time I stood in front of the Art Institute Lion with my Free Hugs sign.

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