Getting to know Me, Myself & I
A month ago, a blogger asked Me if I would like to participate in a blog post on her website featuring Myself by answering some fun questions.
"I would love too!" I said.
You better make it fun and interesting - Me thought.
No pressure - Myself doubted.
We don't think we are fun enough to pull off answering questions in a fun way. We have to be in a fun mood. To respond from home would feel like we were goofing off. We have to go to a place we think is fun and where we don't have to worry about looking busy.
So we took a field trip to the bookstore.
We emailed the questions back the next day with our profile photo and we never heard back. We followed up twice and then decided the last one would seem stalky and whiny. By then there had been several other features.
Me asked, "Was it boring?"
Myself said, "No, it's because we're black."
I said, "Don't play the race card. It's because we have a book and we did a self promo."
Me, Myself and I felt rejected. We wanted to follow up a third time but decided against it.
I said, "Let's just share her questions and answers here!"
But they already know Me here.
Myself said, "Just don't state the obvious like your name or where they can find you. Duh."
So I decided it was a good idea and since it belonged to us now, we could insert the applicable links, add some fun, and change the format so it wouldn't be identical to where we weren't featured.
Interview with Me, Myself and I:
Where is home for you? I was raised in South Carolina and born in Pennsylvania. I now live in North Carolina but "Home is..." where my mom and dad are.
Tell us about your family: I’ve been married 15 years to a Marine, who is now retired. We have a son, Christopher, who is 8 years old. Since my husband has retired, he works full-time as a photographer – I am his unpaid assistant.
How tall are you? I’ve been 5’5” since the nurses started asking me, "How tall are you?" Before that I was 5’4" and 1/2, which sounds silly to say when you’re grown. I suppose that half inch will come back to bite me when I’m a little old lady and they start measuring me again.
How old are you? 42, I always have to think about that. I ask myself what year is it and then do the math.
What is your sign? Sagittarius
What color is your hair? Thank goodness it’s not Rihanna Red; that color didn’t take. The tint I got after trying to achieve what was on the box lasted until the next shampoo. That just means I didn't shampoo it very well the first time.
Now, it’s naturally dark brown and I have two grays.
How do you spend your Me time? Writing, reading, listening to music, singing and dancing (with no witnesses)
Any favorite television shows? Modern Family and Scandal - those are the only two I’ll sit still for without folding laundry or looking at my phone.
Do you have a favorite author? I haven’t read everything any single author has written. I guess I’m pretty close with Maya Angelou.
Is there a book you have or could read again? I’ll say Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness since I bought it and its sequel on Kindle even though I own the hardbacks. I intend to read them again.
What is your favorite food? Yummy. I’m doing Weight Watchers and those two words together just made me excited. Hmmm. What is my FAVORITE food? I don’t want to think about this too hard. Okay Salmon. That’s safe. I love it and could eat it everyday.
What is your favorite beverage? Water. I was supposed to say that. It’s really coffee. I’m currently in Barnes & Noble drinking tea because my coffee tastes better than theirs.
What is your favorite outfit to wear? In 2013 it's YOGA PANTS! Add a Genie or Ahh Bra and a man’s large shirt from Old Navy’s clearance rack – that’s my go-to stay at home outfit. In 2011 I said, “Slacks and heels”. Puh-leeze!
What’s your favorite accessory? My seven earrings never come off except to clean them. They are small hoops, four in one ear, and three in the other.
Why do you blog/write? What do you hope to accomplish with blogging? Oh it’s such a wonderful release to write and know someone is going to read it. Even before I really shared my posts in Social Media it felt good to put my thoughts on paper. I had no idea where blogging was going to lead me when I started. Now as an author, when people see the name Kenya Gallion Johnson on a book cover, I want them to say, “Hey I know her”, and then want to buy it.
What are the latest goings-on that you would want others to know about? The Christopher Chronicles (my book) is my “latest goings-on” and I take every new opportunity (like this one) to tell people about it. The Christopher Chronicles, Age 5 is my first book. It is available through Amazon on paperback and Kindle. The title and cover are misleading. At first glance people think it’s a book for children. It’s a guaranteed to make you laugh, humor book for adults. I’m currently working on a more grown up cover for the second book.
Any words of encouragement or wisdom to impart? This is like one of those what are your strengths and weaknesses kind of questions. I never know what to say until the moment has passed. Fortunately, this isn't live so I thought of something...
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In my late 30’s and even at 40, I thought I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I wondered what my purpose was. What was I called to do? I’m certain that God is happy with me, as I am on the ‘write’ path now. Whatever I do with my writing, I know that is the gift I was given. Where it takes me, I don’t exactly know. What I want to tell you is that if you don’t know what your thing is, it lies just beneath the surface of who you are. It’s painted on your heart. It’s buried under the phrases, “I can’t afford it”, “I don’t have time” and, “I’m too tired.” Do you have a recurring dream that disturbs you? I had one. Once I figured out that my dream was telling me that I was lost, I found my way out of it. Once I started writing again, I never had that lost dream again. When you “do you”, you’ll find your way around all the excuses that keep you from being who you are. If you can’t move the obstacle that hinders you from doing you, go around it.
Here's the thing... now that I look at this, maybe my "fun response" was entirely too long. I actually deleted some stuff. I would be the witness that the judge would have to say, "Just answer in yes or no Mrs. Johnson."
But seriously wasn't it more fun to tell you what color my hair wasn't?