I’m looking forward to some fun times at the end of May.
Lighting In a Bottle

I just emailed their info line to see if I can bring the Hugmobile. Here is my video from last year:

As of this moment, I am not going to SXSW.

But I have not given up the possibility!

I’m trying to find a way to drive the Hugmobile out to Austin.

2600 miles at 5 mpg = lots to consider.

Looking into campground options.

We could even do a couple AZ HugNations along the way.

Think positive transmission karma for us.

The final Hug in San Diego was great!
Lots of my family and several friends came. And I made new friends, too.

But it was also strange. Maybe even sad.

I didn’t want the tour to end.

Being on a hug tour makes your days filled with purpose and massive doses of love.

The tour was all motion, potential and hope.

So it is harder than I thought to slip back into old patterns and responsibilities.

I miss the sweet smell of future possibilities. The overpowering scent of purpose.
For the last few months, the fragrant idea of the tour has enhanced my days, regardless of what I was working on.

I need to get back into my exercise and spiritual practices. I need to write more and listen more. I need to float more.

Hopefully I’ll pick up a new scent from the universe soon and begin a new journey of love.

more pics

Today we’ll be doing a live Hug in San Diego. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to broadcast live (cross your fingers for an open WiFi network!)

But if you are in San Diego, come join us at 12:30 and enjoy a long hug-filled lunch!

KUSI news plans on being there, so comb your hair!

HugNation today in Venice was AMAZING.

And the Hug I led last night at LA Decom was pretty magical, too.

This has been a truly unforgettable week.

If I had seen my family, it might qualify as best ever.

(note Lily’s tshirt)

more hug tour pics FLICKR set

Tomorrow we are live on the State Capital North Steps at 1pm.

I don’t think I have the technology to broadcast it live. But we will try!

IN the meantime, here’s footage from our Oregon stop.

Good times from Portland at the Backspace Cafe!

Yesterday I woke in Seattle.
Had lunch in Portland.
And slept in San Francisco.

Today I watched myself on CNN from a hotel lobby in San Francisco.
Attended a Memorial Service in San Diego.
And am now updating my blog from SF airport as I await a pickup from the hugmobile.
Tomorrow, I’ll attend SF Decom and the Hug Tour will continue.

I didn’t check any luggage…but I still feel like something was lost.
Or perhaps it was just some shifting in the overhead compartment.

The depth of love and loss and motion and travel over the last few days has been dizzying.

Of course, that light-headedness could be from my own smell.

Or my diet.

I’ve been surviving on baked goods and coffee.

Highway living certainly doesn’t encourage water drinking.
I’m drinking about 1/8 the amount of water I drink at home.

And I pee 1/8 as often, too. Of course, when I do, it is the color of egg yolk and smells like Starbucks.

And my “no more meat” declaration hasn’t helped things. I’ve realized I don’t have much of a backup eating plan. So except for cookies, cheese, and bean burritos, I’ve had trouble finding food on the road.

I’m not sure if this is a very healthy lifestyle. At least I’m not exercising or bathing! It’s no wonder “Trucker Physique” is rarely used as a compliment.

But through all the smells and stomach cramps…I still feel like the tour is right.

The sadness of my friend’s death is hard to fathom, but I’m glad there was a day break in the tour so I could fly to SD and not cancel any tour dates.

Another less-than-pleasant lesson from Huggy: We must persevere. We must keep on.
Even in the wake of sadness, we must embrace hope and find our smiles.

I plan on saying something in Jake’s honor at Monday’s hug. Hopefully I’ll eat a salad, too.

Spotman, Huggy and I will be meeting at Greenlake park (north east area near playground) today a little before 1 for an in-person HugNation. (The first of our tour) JOIN US!

***
It has already been an amazing journey.
I cried as the Seattle skyline came into view through Huggy’s rainy windsheild last night.
If nothing else comes of this journey, I drove a huge pink billboard saying, “The world would rather hug you than hurt you” the entire length of one side of the US. Silly as that may be to some people, I felt proud.

Getting ready to find a rest stop to crash at the end of HUG TOUR DAY 1. Woo-Hoo!!! Silly, road-edited video posted to hugmobile.com!

Huggy is packed. I picked up Spotman around 10am.
We’re mid-California now.
We need to be in Seattle by Wednesday.

I feel…a bit scared. A bit excited.
Time to just push away from the shore and let this big pink raft float downstream.