10 am                                                                                                     11 am

MFA Facebook image

A hug from a one year old

I moved from the front staircase to the back staircase of the new wing of the Museum.
I’m walking very slowly in a straight line. A mother is with her small daughter, she’s 
just learning to walk, the daughter looks up and sees me and is curious, I open my arms
and she runs over to me, I’m overwhelmed. I bend down and she hugs my legs and starts
playing with the fabric of the dress. I allow it and simply stand up straight– when she’s
done I start moving again, a couple of steps along, she comes back and sits on the train
of my dress, waiting for a ride, I try pulling her but the fabric is too fragile. I love the encounter. 
Mom and Dad express their gratitude with a nod.

James: (The) girl who was sitting on your skirt and hugging your legs and..
Amanda: she was so adorable she gave me so much
James: she came back a couple of times too. It was interesting to see that interaction, the parents were like ‘Oh my god, can she touch you, is this ok?’ I’m suprised she wasn’t afraid ‘cause it was a little, you know..
Amanda: I was very clear in tuning the energy, it was like, ‘don’t be..
James:  ..scared..
Amanda: ‘..come, come and run at me, you’re learning to walk, come and run at the red thing that’s walking towards you’,
Liz: There’s a photo of that already on the Museum’s facebook
Amanda: and I thought ‘ohhh, can I pull her along?’ the fabric is too fragile I would have ripped the skirt and I wasn’t willing to do that, I knew I had a whole day left (to perform).

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