Everything's bigger in Texas. Even Hugs.

I hugged on day 8 and 9, and it wasn't bad. In fact, I hugged 5 times. These weren't strangers. They were clients. Clients that I know are always going to hug and don't have time to hear my bull shit backstory about not being a hugger. So I let it happen. I leaned in and excepted their arms around my body. Hell, I even squeezed back. These weren't puny hugs. These were big bear hugs. Why you might ask? Because I was in Texas, and everything's bigger in Texas, even the hugs (and this rocking chair).

Why were these hugs easier to except? I think because they were no nonsense. There was no time to think about it. They all happened in a matter of seconds. Like a tempo snap of the fingers, 3 hugs went down on day 8. When it came time to leave on day 9, snap snap, hug hug.

On the evening of day 8, I sat in the lobby of the Hampton Inn in Stephenville, Texas, discussing this very blog with my coworker. It's amazing the conversations I've started simply by saying, "Hey, I have a blog about hugging." My coworker had some stories of his own. And let me tell you huggers something, people judge you. Those hugs you're freely giving out, their being judged.

My coworker told me about 2 huggers off the top of his head without being prompted. One wasn't so great. They hold the hug a bit too long. It ends in that awkward moment of one hugger doing all the hugging. The other, very much a good hugger. Perfect amount of embrace, perfect amount of squeeze.

This leaves me 10 days in, and 6 hugs dispensed. While I'm not up to a hug a day, I feel satisfied.