A Tribute to Mike’s Dad

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — 4 Comments ↓

Hi Folks:

Mike here. My dad, Jacques SÃ©guin passed away last week so we wanted to take a moment or two to honour him. He turned 83 years young last spring, and he’s lived a good, long life. He showed up in mine when I was about four, and he’s been the only dad I ever had. Much of who I am today is because of his influence. My dad was not perfect (few of us are) but he had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. He was almost universally liked, and he would go a long way out of his way to help others, to engage someone, to generate a smile and/or a laugh. He taught me many, many things, some of them tangible, and others simply about how to be. He was invariably patient and kind. He will be missed. Continue Reading →

Hugging the Royals… (almost)

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

Victoria’s October rains are among us once again, which is very good for the aquifer but not so good for hugging (even though we did get our new posters laminated). Once we get a free day that’s clear we’ll be back out again!

As it happened, our two most recent hugging sessions coincided with the arrival and departure of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and family on their tour of Canada. We knew something was up when we saw the legislature grounds being set up the day before their arrival, but needs must so the following day we headed to our usual location at the Homecoming Memorial. We had thought they might get time in their schedule to come and see us, but alas it was not to be. Nonetheless, we had a steady stream of people passing by on their way downtown so we had a wonderfully busy afternoon! Continue Reading →

Hugging Kelowna

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

Well, since Mike’s mother’s birthday is in September, a week or so ago we departed our little island hideaway for the Okanagan valley. And (for the first time in seven years) our ‘Free Hugs‘ posters departed the island with us. Our Hug Certificates have been downloaded and given out by people all over the world, but we’d yet to do a ‘Free Hugs’ session outside of Victoria. It was time!

Hugging Kelowna

Mike’s mom was a great sport, not only indulging us in our madness but willingly joining in. We set up by the Sails sculpture off Bernard Street, down by Lake Okanagan. When we do our hugging sessions, we offer but people have to come to us. Those who aren’t interested are welcome to simply pass us by and continue on their way. This location offered us ample space for people to move around us and a bench for Mike’s mom to sit when she tired of standing. We had a lot of fun, and hugged Kelowna tourists and locals alike! We’ll have to remember to bring our posters the next time we go traveling… 🙂

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. Many thanks to the entire(?) wait staff at Earl’s Kitchen + Bar for coming out and hugging us en masse!

Hugging

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

We came across this file recently, in an old computer folder. There are a number of versions of it online, but none of them (that we’ve found) know or list the original author. To that end we’ve posted it as Author Unknown, but if you know who wrote it please leave us a comment to let us know!

Hugs,
M&M

Hugging

Hugging is healthy:
It helps the body’s immune system
It cures depression
It reduces stress
It induces sleep
It’s invigorating
It’s rejuvenating
It has no unpleasant side effects
And is nothing less than a miracle drug!

Hugging is all natural:
It is organic, unnaturally sweet
No pesticides, no preservatives
No artificial ingredients
And 100 percent wholesome

Hugging is practically perfect:
There are no moving parts to wear out
No periodic checkups
Low-energy yield
Infection-proof
Non-fattening
No monthly payments
No insurance requirements
Theft-proof
Non-taxable
Non-polluting
And, of course, returnable.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Author Unknown

Two-Fisted Hugger!!

Echoes, Reflections and Speaking Into the Void

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — 1 Comment ↓

Hi Folks:

I don’t remember the last time we had a post that attempts to string together several semi-coherent thoughts, so it must be time for another one. This one is different from but connected to a few other posts we’ve done, including:

Continue Reading →

Love is Universal

Posted on July 10, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Love is the one thing that connects us all.

Hi Folks:

The video below from Atlanta Buzz, streamed live on Facebook, has been seen more than 27 million times (so far). If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth watching. If you have, it’s worth tucking away in a quiet corner for the next time you need a little uplifting. Last Friday hundreds of people came to Thanks-Giving Square to honour the five Dallas police officers who were killed in the line of duty on July 7, and several officers were on the scene to direct traffic. Very shortly a huge line-up of people stopped to offer appreciation to the officers present and share condolences, handshakes and hugs.

Wherever you are today, we send you love.

Hugs,
M&M

P.S. In seven years of hugging locals and visitors to our fair city, so far we’ve share Free Hugs with people from 53 countries (that we know about). All it takes is a piece of cardboard, a marker, a little courage and an open heart.

International Free Hugs Day, 2016

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

As last Saturday (the first Saturday in July) was International Free Hugs Day, we were out at our usual location (Victoria’s Homecoming Memorial, by Ship Point) offering hugs to locals and visitors alike. This was our 9th hugging session this year, but because it was International Free Hugs Day we extended an invitation to friends and members of our local photography group to come and join us… and join us they did! Continue Reading →

The Why of Hugging

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — 2 Comments ↓

Hi Folks:

In our last ‘Free Hugs’ post we detailed the process of making our new ‘Free Hugs’ posters. Below we have the lovely Marcia modeling one of them for us.

New Posters in Action!

We’ve been offering free hugs to locals and visitors (and other species) for seven years now, and (without question 🙂 ) the one question we get asked more than any other is, “Why are you doing this?” Continue Reading →

New Posters: For the Love of Hugs

Posted on June 12, 2016 by Mike Nelson Pedde — Leave a reply

Hi Folks:

Well, this being our 7th year of hugging Victorians (and anyone else who’s interested), we decided to update our FREE HUGS posters. The old ones have served us well, but they’re definitely showing their age. At the risk of overstating the obvious, all you need to make a poster is a pen or a marker and something flat enough to write on… but as the saying goes, “The Walk is Part of the Gift“. To that end, we wanted to put some effort into our new posters.

Continue Reading →