Zenfull Heart | October 3, 2026
I was looking forward to checking out the Pensacola Seafood Festival because local festivals have become one of the ways I get out, explore where I am, and sometimes bring my Free Hugs sign along with me. I had this bigger picture in my head of what last weekend might look like, but it ended up being much quieter and simpler than I expected, which actually became part of the experience.
I went Friday evening. There was still some daylight left, but not enough for me to really get comfortable with where I would want to stand and do Free Hugs, so I decided not to force it. I felt really good just walking around, taking everything in, and enjoying being there. I was actually surprised by how small the festival was compared to what I had imagined. I walked around the music area, through food vendors, and over to the arts and crafts section, and I remember thinking, is this really it? I even walked through some of it again because I thought maybe I had missed something.
One thing that immediately caught my attention was Cousins Maine Lobster. Here I was, standing in Pensacola, Florida, at a seafood festival, seeing this giant reminder of Maine, which had been home my whole life. I do not even eat seafood, but seeing that little piece of Maine made me smile.
Friday night ended up being simple. I walked around, listened to some music, looked at the vendors, and enjoyed being out without needing anything huge to happen. I did not do Free Hugs, and I was okay with that. I think there was a time when I would have decided ahead of time that I was going to do something and then felt like I had failed if I did not follow through exactly the way I pictured it. This time I just let the evening be what it was.
I went back Saturday around the middle of the day, which was definitely not the best timing because it was hot. I had parked quite a distance away, walked to the festival, and wandered around for a while. I wore one of my shirts that says “Be a good human” on the back. I liked having that message on me while I moved through the crowd because it fits so naturally with what I have been doing with Free Hugs. It was not something I needed to announce or make a big production out of. People could simply read the words on the back of my shirt and that was enough for me. There was music playing Saturday afternoon, but between the heat and the crowd I did not stay very long and felt I had gotten plenty of sun and movement. I had originally thought I might go back later with my Free Hugs sign, and for part of the day I kept telling myself that I should. I had already pictured myself doing it, so there was this little argument happening in my head about whether I needed to push myself and follow through.
That is something I have been paying more attention to lately. There are times when I know I am avoiding something because I am uncomfortable or nervous, and those are usually the times when I need to challenge myself. Free Hugs started that way for me. Standing somewhere alone holding a sign and waiting for strangers to respond definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone in the beginning. But this weekend felt different because I was not afraid to do it. I simply was not feeling drawn to do it there. That changed later that night.
I did go back to the Seafood Festival Saturday night to see if the energy felt different, but by then the stage area was much more crowded. I walked around again, took everything in, and realized that I still was not feeling connected to the festival the way I thought I might. There was nothing wrong with it, and there were obviously plenty of people enjoying themselves, but it just was not turning into this big experience I had created in my head beforehand.
I was on Facebook when I came across a Latin Salsa Festival at Community Maritime Park. That was an important shift for me that night because I stopped trying to make the Seafood Festival be the experience I thought I was supposed to have. There was a completely different event happening only a short distance away, with Latin music, dancing, and an atmosphere that was much more my jam. It was another reminder that I do not have to stay committed to an experience just because it was the original plan. Sometimes I can simply notice that the energy is not for me and follow what is pulling me somewhere else. And I was able to walk there from where I was parked! I caught the last 30 minutes or so of the festival, and I had my Free Hugs sign with me. I was slightly disappointed because I wish I had known about it earlier in the day! But I was happy I was able to see a glimpse of it. I did finally get the courage to dance and hold my Free Hugs sign up for about five to seven minutes, and I received three to five hugs. The energy was much different than in Mexico, but I still pushed myself outside of my comfort zone. I was standing to the side talking to myself and kept hearing what Dr. Joe Dispenza would say… who are you, who do you want to become, you can’t wake up each day doing the same things and expect your life to change. So I asked myself, “Are we the new Sherry tonight, or the old shy girl hiding her love, joy, and glow from the world?” And that pushed me to do it!
By Sunday I had one more opportunity to go back, and I decided not to. What stood out to me by then was how many times during the weekend I had almost tried to make myself have a certain experience simply because I had already decided what the festival was supposed to become. I thought I would probably spend more time there. I thought I would do Free Hugs there. I thought it would feel bigger. I thought there would be more that pulled me in and made me want to stay. None of that happened, and that was okay.
I still went. I explored it more than once. I saw another part of Pensacola, listened to music, walked through the vendors, wore a message I believe in, saw a funny little reminder of Maine, and gave myself the chance to experience the festival without demanding that it become something more.
I think that may be what I ended up taking from the weekend. Not every event I go to has to become some huge story or meaningful experience. I do not have to force Free Hugs into every crowd simply because there are people there, and I do not have to stay somewhere longer just because I made the effort to go.
I am learning to notice the difference between pushing through fear and forcing something that simply does not feel right for me in that moment. I want to keep getting out into the world, trying new things, meeting people, and saying yes to experiences that stretch me, but at the same time, I want those experiences to remain genuine instead of becoming another thing to do on my to do list.
The Seafood Festival was smaller than I expected, I spent less time there than I imagined I would, and I never did bring out my Free Hugs sign there. None of that made the weekend unsuccessful. It was simply another Pensacola experience, and I got to enjoy it for exactly what it was instead of forcing it to become what I thought it was supposed to be. And when I followed what was pulling me somewhere else, the new Sherry showed up, danced, and got her hugs.
