Forgive me, but I didn't know about International Pillow Fight Day, which was on Saturday, until the next day, when I was walking through Union Square with a friend and we happened upon a group of people offering free hugs. They were holding signs advertising the service, and once they had your attention, well, you got a big hug. For free.

My friend mentioned that she'd seen a huge pillow fight the day before, in the Financial District, and wondered if it was an organized event. Indeed it was: International Pillow Fight Day took place in 109 cities around the world, on every continent except Antarctica.

The "fights" were part of the Urban Playground Movement, which consists of organizations and groups around the world that stage all manner of non-violent, non-branded, community-oriented fun for city-dwelling adults.

I wish I'd known about it sooner, as I've never really been part of a pillow fight. What could be a better introduction to the sport than taking on the whole world -- symbolically speaking, of course. Might as well start big, right?

[Image: Pillow Fight in New York City]