Life's Negotiations

It's not easy to tell the truth, but it's worth it.

This is an excerpt from my upcoming book, called I'm Scared & Doing it Anyway. 

There I was on the conveyor belt of life in 2008, going along pretty darn happy most days, when I met a friend while he was visiting his family for Christmas.

Forgive the rant, but it needs to be said.

It's time to be who you are unapologetically.

My recent rants have been on accepting a compliment and Saying Yes. It seemed about time for a new one. 

You may have heard about the worldwide Free Hugs campaign. It's a beautiful sentiment.

It's not a Hug Tour.

Since launching my Hug Tour in April, people have sent me Free Hugs videos, and photos of Free Hugs t-shirts they find wherever they are in the world. It's immensely gratifying to be linked with hugs.

On July 30^th  of this year, I got married. It is, I admit, rolling off my tongue these days with so much frequency that it has begun to make everyone want to slap me. Just a little. No one actually has hauled off and done it yet. I am, as they say, a newlywed. I'm in my, I think they call it, honeymoon period. I get a buy. I get to talk about me.

Married life like-you-mean-it (LYMI) by author Joselin Linder. She previously blogged about her engagement with Gagging to the altar in February.

(Everyone asks - So how's married life? And I get to answer for a while with a lot of sentences that start with the word "we" or "I." And the best part is that when I stop for a breath, realize I've been talking for 15 minutes without changing the subject or breathing and politely rebound with, "And you? How are you?" They go, "Oh, fine...fine...so Tulum? How long was the Honeymoon?" And so back to me.)

Q&A on humanity, vulnerability, and hugging TSA personnel with Hug Tour Ambassador, Kimberly Daulton. 

What does a hug mean to you?

A hug means so many things to me. It is a special greeting. It is a source of comfort. It is a generous gift meant to be shared.