Yesterday I was strolling along the beach listening to Eminem singing “Look, if you had one shot, or one opportunity . . .”
I scribbled yet another Moleskin full of thoughts, lots of random thoughts but as I was doing that slowly things became more and more clear.
Earlier that day I took a long hot shower. While the water flows, ideas flow even faster. I love water in general. Whether it is the water in the shower, the water that becomes tea, the water of the ocean. I am very grateful to live in a part of the world where there is no water shortage.
But I am getting off track again.
So I was feeling the sand between my toes, looking over the ocean, freeing up thoughts. Thoughts on the past, thoughts on the future. More and more thoughts. I stopped walking to write them down over and over again. At some point, I decide to sit down.
I just sat there perhaps for 15 – 20 minutes. Trying to do nothing, just breath. I have never been very good at that. Even at the end of my yoga course – when you are supposed to only breathe – my mind wanders.
I watched a YouTube video once of a guy who does a rather hilarious talk on the difference between the brain of a woman and a man. His conclusion being: Man have a nothing box. The man’s brain is made of boxes. And one of them is completely empty. Utterly empty. I have never wanted to be a man, but ever since I heard this talk I have wanted to have such nothing box :-) There are times when I feel like Lucy. The one that exploded because she made too many brain connections.
So I am sitting there trying just to breathe and find something that at least resembles an empty box.
And then a thought comes; it’s fine not to have an empty box as long as you realize it when life hugs you. When life hugs you, you need to hug it back.
And that is what I did. Life hugged me, and I hugged it right back.
That moment on the beach, the sun shining, the sand still slightly cold, kids running around, others busy creating huge sandcastles with their parents, many kites playing with the wind overcoming gravity.
Could I be any more fortunate?
The entire day was like one enormous hug. The 3-year old daughter of my cousin danced with my dad, with twinkling eyes, teasing him like a little dare-devil. It was a real joy to watch them fool around. My slightly deranged music collection got everyone moving at some point. The best thing music can do. My husband was the best barbecue chef one could ever wish for. My mom baked an unearthly delicious apple pie. My sister prepared the hottest courgette skewers I ever ate. I could go on and on. It was a marvelous evening. One to cherish, to hold on to.
When I unwrapped the present from my brother and sister it was a book, a book from the School of life. It’s called “How to change the world”. The reason I started this blog in the first place. How can I get that feeling of belonging, gratitude and joy to ripple around the world?
I want to start a Hugging War. A war that is worth fighting for. I need to find warriors. Many warriors. From all around the world. Warriors that know how to hug. Huggers so to say.
Would you join a Hugging War? What do you think of a hugging war? Is that a battle worth fighting for?
If you agree with me would you send me an “Embracie”? A photo of you hugging someone. And permission to post it on social media (from you and the person you are hugging). I need to figure out a ton of details but sometimes you just need to kick things off. Right here, right now.
Let’s start a Hugging War!
For the moment just send your image to: tlmembrace@gmail.com Soon there will be a place to upload them and a better plan. I am happy to receive any genius ideas on how to move this forward best :-) Movements are iterative – it just has to start somewhere. Let’s kick it off and get the biggest army the world has ever seen!
