52 Stories: Butterfly kisses (and hugs)

Inspired by One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern, I've decided to ask people some thought provoking questions about themselves, as I feel that everyone has a story to tell. If you're just joining me on this journey today, please check out the previous posts from this series, as well.

I connected with this storyteller through my book blog and other similar groups we're in on Facebook. We also have some online friends in common. She's really nice and I enjoyed reading her answers to my questions...especially the last two.

Name you’d like to go by: I answer to Kimberly or Kim, my close relatives and friends will also call me Kimmy. I like to use the name Kimberlyindy when I review books.
Age: 40+
Gender: Female
Location: Southern California

What is your guilty pleasure? 
 I have a couple of guilty pleasures. I love to be able to stay in my pajamas all day and alternate watching movies and reading. Some of my favorite movies are A Walk in the Clouds, Serendipity, Sabrina and almost all Christmas movies (which I have been known to watch in July.) I generally read Romance and Chick Lit. Some of my favorite authors are Jane Porter, Megan Crane/Caitlin Crews, Debra Kahn, Melissa Cutler, Anita Hughes Jude Deveraux, Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis. If I can afford to indulge myself, I love to go stay in a hotel and go to their spa. I have learned that you can get a day pass and enjoy the experience of the spa without spending a fortune. =)

What is something you’ve never done but would like to do? 
I have always wanted to try zip lining, riding in a hot air balloon, and scuba diving. I would also like to travel all over. My bucket list includes Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and Australia.

What is one thing that you find really funny? 
I love to watch Comedian Jeff Dunham

What is one thing you love about yourself? 
 People tell me that I am able to adapt to most situations and I can find something to talk about with everyone. I love people and I find every person interesting in their own way. I have always been able to make friends easy.

What is something you did that changed someone’s life? 
This is a hard question to answer, because I try to perform random acts of kindness almost daily, and I always hope that I somehow make their life a little better. I definitely believe in the philosophy of pay it forward.

What is something that not many people know about you? 
 Well I have a couple of things, not sure which would be the most surprising. I was in a nationally televised commercial when I was in High School that was shown at all of the Indianapolis Colts games. I was in a type of plane crash in 1991 in Colorado. I lived on my own my senior year of High School. Feel free to ask me to elaborate on any of those.

What part of your personality is extinct? 
I hope you don’t mind but I took a little liberty with this question and changed it a little bit.

If something is was a good part of your personality and it ceases to exist that isn’t a good thing. I prefer to think of it as hibernating. For me this was my creativity. This was something I definitely thought was extinct, but recently has found a spark and has comes back to life. Throughout my life, I had done different things to feed this side of my personality. I actively participated in the theatre in different capacities, and I enjoyed writing and was on the journalism staff and did speech and debate where I wrote originally oratories and poetry for competition. Then several years ago a few things happened to put my creativity in hibernation, one I got very busy with life and working way too many jobs, and going to school, etc. But probably one of the greatest factors was an English professor I had. For whatever reason, she did not like me, and after having her for a semester I no longer had any desire to write. She accused me of plagiarism, which I had to fight and was able to prove that I had not done that. And she was constantly putting comments on my works like “congratulations on changing a fiasco of a paper to a mediocre paper.” It is amazing how powerful words and actions can be……..Fast forward 20 years and I can honestly say that two things/people have really influenced me and help reignite my creative side. About rwo years ago my work sent me to a motivational event, and one of the presenters was a man named Erik Wahl. He is an artist that creates incredible paintings with his hands, timed to music. If you have never heard of him, I encourage you to check him out. He talked to us about a teacher when he was in elementary school telling him that he had no talent and he didn’t so much as pick up a crayon for over 20 years because of this. It brought back the memory of that English professor and really got me thinking about what I had given up. I honestly don’t remember what he said what motivated him to try art again, probably because my own brain was on overdrive thinking about the past and what I used to love to do. Just a little side fact about him, he no longer sells his art work, he donates it to charity auctions or gives it away through what he calls art drops (he hides the paintings and leaves clues on social media and the first person to find it, gets to keep it). The second influence has been my friend Jane Porter. I met Jane purely by accident about three years ago at a local Barnes and Noble. I had never read any of her books before, but became a fan that day. I got to know her through her blog and Facebook page. After going to few different events, where she talked about all things writing, the good, the bad, and even some of the ugly; it made me want to try writing again. I took a summer writing class and with Jane’s encouragement I went to a Romance Writer’s Conference this past spring. For now, I am only writing for me, but who knows what may happen in the future. I have made a promise to myself so that I never let my creative side become extinct again. I try to do something creative every day. I have been taking painting lessons and making home-made cards, and yes sometimes I do have to push myself out of my comfort zone to try something new and creative; but I am okay with that.

If you could give someone one of your favorite things as a gift, what would it be and why? 
I often give butterflies as gifts. They hold a very special place in my heart. While I have always loved butterflies, about 15 years ago, they became very significant part of my life. When my grandfather passed away, my grandmother told me that he came to visit her that night as a beautiful monarch butterfly and stayed beside her all night. My grandmother and I started giving each other butterflies back and forth after that day, so we would always have grandpa with us. Even though my grandma has Alzheimer’s and is in a facility, we still keep her surrounded by butterflies. When she was able to walk, we posted a large purple butterfly outside her room and that was how she knew which room was hers. I swear, if I am having a bad day or feeling a little lonely, a butterfly always crosses my path. Just the other day, a butterfly actually flittered all around me like it was hugging me before taking off. It brought a smile to my face and made me laugh out loud. It felt magical and I could almost see a little sparkly trail it was leaving behind. I enjoy giving butterflies to people, and some I tell the significance of them to me and others, it just feels right. If I know someone is struggling, I think a butterfly is the perfect gift to give them, because butterflies show us that is not easy to make it in this world, but that we are beautiful and we can take flight.