Every Moment, Every Picture, Every Hug

Zenfull Heart | October 5, 2026

With Eli Hannon
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Yesterday was the downtown finale of the Songwriters Festival in Pensacola. I drove into downtown Pensacola, found street parking, and started walking toward Seville Quarter. I knew I was early for the main event, but there was something at 11 am. It was not raining at that moment, but the forecast said it would rain all afternoon.

The street parking I found was free but a distance away, and I noticed plenty of paid parking close to the event. I ended up walking back to my SUV and having this whole conversation with myself about whether I was worthy of paying for convenient parking. It sounds ridiculous when I say it like that, but it really was one of those small abundance moments. I have money. I have credit cards that earn points. I am allowed to make things easier and more comfortable for myself. I do not have to park far away just because somewhere else might be free. So I moved the SUV, paid for parking, and decided that yes, I am worthy.

Paying for my parking spot did not immediately make me brave enough to get out of my SUV. I spent the next hour getting in and out, walking around, coming back, trying to figure out where the event was taking place, and I was being shy and weird about the whole thing. I had been excited about going. I had looked up some of the artists the night before, but sitting there in my SUV, all those anxious feelings started showing up again.

I was also wearing this tinsel headband, and for a minute I considered taking it off because I knew I was going to stand out. Then I realized how completely backwards that was. So much of what I am doing with the Hug Movement is about being seen, and being seen has been extraordinarily hard for me for most of my life. I think part of me always wanted to be seen, heard, recognized, loved, and maybe even in the spotlight, but another part of me was terrified of allowing that to happen, because being seen never felt safe. Underneath that fear was a little girl who was never able to have that thought or that experience, because of the people around her. This work keeps putting me directly in front of that fear.

Eventually, I stopped sitting in the SUV and went inside Seville Quarter to figure the place out. There were so many different rooms and bars in there that I had no idea where I was going at first. I walked around, checked things out, went back to the SUV, and then grabbed my Free Hugs sign. I ended up spending most of the afternoon in Apple Annie's near the sound booth. It was pouring rain by then and the roof was leaking in many different places around the bar, but I found a little spot where I could stand, keep my sign underneath the bar, and watch everything.

I also ordered myself a burger and fries, which turned into a whole adventure because the kitchen was so backed up it took almost two hours to get my food. I kept going back and forth trying to find the bartender I originally ordered from. When my burger finally showed up, I brought it back to my little corner and enjoyed it while listening to the music.

The lineup included Sugarcane Jane, followed by several rounds of songwriters throughout the afternoon, including Kensie Coppin, Trey Nichols, Eli Hannon, Gary Nichols, CJ Solar, Rick Huckaby, Mark Nesler, Keith Burns, Anthony Smith, Jamie Floyd, and others. I honestly did not know most of these people before this weekend, and the music itself was not really the main reason I was there. I wanted to get out of the house, experience something different, and keep bringing the Hug Movement into real life instead of only talking about what I want it to become.

After the different artists finished playing, I started approaching some of them and asking if they would take a picture with me and my Free Hugs sign. I took pictures with several of them. What I noticed yesterday was that I was getting better at introducing myself. The night before, when I asked the artists for a photo, I did not even introduce myself or my business name. I basically walked up and asked if they would take a picture with me because I stand in public places giving free hugs.

With Kensie Coppin
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With Gary Nichols
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This time, I started saying something more like, "Hi, I'm Sherry. I was wondering if I could take a picture with you and my hug sign. I travel around the world and I'm implementing this wherever I go." That may not sound like some monumental accomplishment, but for me it felt different. I was actually introducing myself, explaining what I am doing, and allowing myself to take up a little more space.

With Anthony Smith
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There were also these small moments throughout the afternoon that had nothing to do with the performers. An older couple standing near me bought me a drink. When they were getting ready to leave, the woman tapped me, gave me a huge hug, and told me it was so nice to meet me. The man hugged me too. At another point, I was casually holding my Free Hugs sign while waiting to take a picture with one of the artists, and a man looked at me and said he would take a hug. A few other hugs happened throughout the day too.

With CJ Solar
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With Keith Burns of Trick Pony
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One woman told me she had done Free Hugs herself before and that it had brought her so much joy. She had originally come up because she liked my blue "Let's Be Better Humans" shirt, and I ended up giving her one of my business cards. I gave a few cards out to other people too. These are the moments I keep reminding myself matter. Every conversation, every hug, every picture, and every person who learns what I am doing is part of putting the movement into the world.

I genuinely enjoyed the whole day, and I got myself out of the house. But I noticed something else sitting underneath all of it. Almost everyone around me seemed to be there with somebody. Couples, friends, families, groups of people. And I was there alone.

I have incredible people in my life. I now have so many friends I can call, video chat with, meditate with on Zoom, and reach out to almost anytime. I am grateful for that, but it is still different from having someone nearby you can text and say, "Do you want to grab a burger?" or "Want to go for a walk?" or "I am going to do Free Hugs Thursday. Do you want to come with me?" I had more of that kind of connection when I was in Mexico, but it took me four or so months to find my group there, and being in Pensacola for more than a month has made me realize how much I miss it.

Driving home, that loneliness felt louder. I had spent the entire day by myself, and I have spent most of my time here by myself. There are people I could reach out to. There is a woman I met during one of my first Free Hugs outings who mentioned getting avocado toast together sometime. I have thought about asking the yoga instructor I know if she wants to get coffee. Then my brain gets involved and starts wondering whether I am forcing something, whether they would feel obligated, or whether I should just leave it alone.

That is probably part of the bigger thing I am working through right now. I have done so much inner work. I meditate. I heal. I regulate my nervous system. I pay attention to what is coming up. All of that matters, but I am also realizing that at some point I have to put 3D action into my 5D work. I cannot keep using healing as a reason to stay still.

When I came to Florida, part of me thought this was going to be the place where I really started building more momentum with Zenfull Heart, the Hug Movement, abundance, and the version of myself I keep saying I want to become. I do not feel like I have fully done that yet. That is uncomfortable to admit, but maybe admitting it is part of changing it.

So yesterday was not really just about a songwriters festival. It was another day of practicing being visible. It was paying for the parking instead of automatically choosing what was cheapest. It was wearing the tinsel headband instead of taking it off. It was walking back into the building after sitting in the SUV feeling anxious. It was introducing myself to strangers, holding up my Free Hugs sign, handing out business cards, and letting people see what I am creating.

The mantra that kept coming back to me yesterday is one that came to me in meditation more than a year ago: I am safe. I am free to be me. I love my life, and I am deeply grateful for the abundance, love, kindness, support, food, experiences, and freedom I have. I can also love my life and admit that sometimes this part is hard. Becoming the version of me who is willing to be fully seen is not always comfortable, but yesterday I showed up anyway.

With Anthony Smith and Kirstie Kraus
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