It is true. Today, I hugged a stranger.

Let me defend myself.  Today was an amazing day.  I haven’t had a day like it in quite some time.  It was one of those days of just pure hyper love that boils over into, well, hugging a stranger.

Recently, I have had the pleasure of hearing about a lot of good things that are happening in the lives of some of my very good friends. Opportunities that I know will enrich their lives in ways that they, right now, can’t even begin to imagine.  Now when I get excited, I don’t just get excited, I get a little crazy–crazy enough to hug a stranger.

After talking with a group of friends that I have had the experience to get to know in a very deep, yet conversational, friendly way, my excitement boiled over.  I know what wonderful things lie in their future and I have grown to be one of those people who genuinely wants the best for their friends and family.  I have, embarrassingly, become a big cheerleader of my friends and their many accomplishments.  So today, after talking about what lies ahead, the great, wonderful, enriching things that lie ahead, things that just better and strengthen a person, I wanted to share my excitement. So, I hugged a stranger.

As I laughed with friends in excitement, I couldn’t help but just turn, and there was an unexpecting young lady who I just shouted at that I was going to hug her–completely creepy, completely embarrassing, partially inappropriate.

But I guess hugging strangers isn’t exactly “socially correct” when it comes to each other’s space.  But I have become a person who just wants to spread the excitement, the love and the happiness.  When a person I love is doing well, and is given the opportunity to explore, learn and grow I am so genuinely excited for them.  In a weird way being excited for others has been almost more enjoyable than being excited for my own accomplishments.  I guess that tends to happen when you are surrounded by a group of people that if they are family are your friends, and if they are your friends are like family.

So for me, being excited with one another just didn’t cut it.  I needed to spread the love and maybe just in a weird, kind of creepy way, bring some unexpected excitement to someone else, someone I didn’t know.

I stopped to think what they girl must have thought, and if someone jumped out at me and hugged me, I would probably be scared hoping I wasn’t about to be killed, but after realizing my life wasn’t in danger, would probably laugh it off and continue on with a smile on my face.

So while hugging strangers may not be your cup of tea, what I can say is being genuinely excited for others–their joys, their opportunities and their accomplishments–will bring such an overwhelming excitement to your own life that you can’t help but be overwhelmingly happy yourself.