Free Hugs

When I visited Montreal last year, I saw a street performer who called himself the Hugger Busker. His performance wasn't really a performance; he just had a sign offering free hugs. Since then I've noticed a trend building. Once in a while I hear something on the radio or see something in a newspaper about ordinary people who go out on a street corner one day with a sign offering free hugs.

And now I will continue my occasional habit of talking about one tiny aspect of an event in my life while almost completely ignoring the event itself, good though it may be. Last weekend I went with my church youth group to YC, a big annual Christian event for teens. It happens at Rexall Place (home of the Edmonton Oilers) every year. This year the big trend was--you guessed it--free hugs. Many times I saw people with signs offering free hugs, and once in a while I saw people take others up on the offer. Then I saw a sign that said:

FREE HUGS
are dumb.
Don't touch me.

What a party pooper!