Last Friday, I wrote a bit about my hug project at FETC.
Like I said before, this started out being silly, felt really embarrassing along the way, and eventually led to me feeling so much love and connection with amazing teachers and edtech professionals. It really is a dumb thing to walk around with a sign bearing your name saying, "I hugged ________". It feels a little (a lot) self centered, narcissistic, you name it. And again, it's embarrassing asking people if they'll hug you and take the picture.
It was easier asking a stranger or a new friend to take the picture than a long time friend. As the week went on, however, the act of taking the picture was downright celebratory.
In the end, it's really changed my thoughts on hugging and human contact. I've always been a hugger, but I realize now, how much power there is in a squeeze. Going forward from here, I'm aiming to hug my way through ST4T and ISTE, both in June, and see where this can take me. I've got 38 photos in this set, should have more like 60 based on the people I saw at FETC. I wish I had gotten them all, and won't make the mistake of not asking in the future.
And as I think of this project, my novelty brain starts going. Does this turn into a writing project? A podcast? I'm not sure, but I know that I don't want the connection to time out, and that means I need to keep hugging.
Like I said before, this started out being silly, felt really embarrassing along the way, and eventually led to me feeling so much love and connection with amazing teachers and edtech professionals. It really is a dumb thing to walk around with a sign bearing your name saying, "I hugged ________". It feels a little (a lot) self centered, narcissistic, you name it. And again, it's embarrassing asking people if they'll hug you and take the picture.
It was easier asking a stranger or a new friend to take the picture than a long time friend. As the week went on, however, the act of taking the picture was downright celebratory.
In the end, it's really changed my thoughts on hugging and human contact. I've always been a hugger, but I realize now, how much power there is in a squeeze. Going forward from here, I'm aiming to hug my way through ST4T and ISTE, both in June, and see where this can take me. I've got 38 photos in this set, should have more like 60 based on the people I saw at FETC. I wish I had gotten them all, and won't make the mistake of not asking in the future.
And as I think of this project, my novelty brain starts going. Does this turn into a writing project? A podcast? I'm not sure, but I know that I don't want the connection to time out, and that means I need to keep hugging.
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