By Founder, Matt Brown
One of the most common sights when we are on outreach is that of us hugging our unhoused friends.
Life is so precious, and so fleeting. We have a deep appreciation for each moment we are blessed to spend with our friends, because sadly, we know each moment could be our last with them.
The recent loss of some of our dear friends out there has made that fact all the more real. Each time we hug them, we desperately hold on to that sacred moment of connection as long as we can, knowing how precarious life is.
The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh developed “hugging meditation”, melding eastern and western philosophy and practice.
He said:
“Hug with all your body, spirit and heart. It is a mindfulness practice. As you hug the person, say to yourself ‘Breathing in, I know a dear one is in my arms, alive. Breathing out, they are so precious to me.’
While you hold the person you love, the energy of your care and appreciation will penetrate into that person, and they will be nourished and bloom like a flower.”
Just recently a volunteer shared that when she hugged one of our friends they shared, “thank you for that, I had forgotten what human touch felt like.”
There is so much we are powerless over; so many things we cannot provide, but we CAN communicate that healing message that “you are loved, valued and cared about.”