After Reading This, You Will Fall In Love With Me

I first discovered the blog Corals & Cognacs a few months back, and I've been hooked ever since. I love Hallie's cool, confident style, and--even more--her honest, funny writing. Yesterday, she ran this post based on this experiment by psychologist Arthur Aron, which looked at whether someone could actually make strangers fall in love. The hypothesis was that a concept called "mutual vulnerability," forced into the situation by having the subjects ask each other a series of 36 intimate questions, would do the trick. (Spoiler alert: In at least one case, it worked!)

Hallie extrapolated the idea to the blogger/reader relationship. Do you guys tend to gravitate towards bloggers who are more open, vulnerable, and "real?" I know I do. So in that spirit, Hallie gave honest answers to a few of the original 36 questions to help her readers feel closer to her. Did it make them fall in love with her? Well, it worked for me. (But, to be totally truthful, I was already smitten!)

She invited other bloggers to follow her lead, and I thought the concept was very interesting, so here I am. I won't bore you by answering all 36 questions. (Also, some are really personal. Baby steps!) But in an effort to bring us closer together, I will tackle ten. Read on--then see just how much you're feelin' me by the end. ;)

1. Would you like to be famous? In what way? I think anyone with a public Instagram or Twitter account would be lying if they said no, so...yes. Sure. I certainly like the idea of people knowing my name and liking my work--and the potential opportunities that can come from this sort of thing. But I would definitely not want to be paparazzi/Kardashian/can't-go-to-the-market/stars-without-makeup famous. No thanks. 

2. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want? I'll take the bod. And I don't mean that in a totally superficial way! The older I get, the more I realize that, when we're young, we tend to take our body's abilities for granted. But imagine being 90 and being able to do a Spin class, hike a mountain, walk through the streets of Italy, or even climb a flight of stairs with ease. That would be amazing, no? Also, I'm a few years past 30 now, and already I wouldn't want to go back to my 30-year-old brain! I've learned so much since that age. So, I'd choose to be a hot, wise granny, thank you very much.

3. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? My kids. Cheesy as it may sound, they're the best thing I've ever done, and I feel like every step (and misstep) in my life along the way has been necessary so that I could be in this place, right now, to have them.

4. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained one quality or ability, what would it be? The ability to time travel!

5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else. To myself? I can't remember. It was probably in the shower though. But I sang our special version of "Hush Little Baby" to my son last night. (Bedtime was rushed for my daughter so I actually forgot to sing it to her !)

6. Is there something you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it? Two things: 1) For my entire life, I've wanted to write a book. I've started many, many times, but I've never done it because something always comes up to distract me. Plus, bottom line: A book is just such a HUGE project. Write a 2,000 word article? Piece of cake for me. But a 100,000 word book? Me scared. 2) I've had a few business ideas for the last few years. Everyone I share them with LOVES them and tells me to pursue them. But since I'm a more of a creative person and business isn't my "thing," it seems too daunting to even seriously attempt to go there. People say, "Start with a business plan!" But that's easier said than done when you didn't go to B-school, y'know?

7. What do you value most in a friendship? Loyalty, being a good listener, the ability to give great advice, and an excellent sense of humor.

8. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about? The Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting.

9. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why? I'm going to slightly cheat and say two things since I have two hands/arms, so this is technically, realistically possible. First, I'd grab my computer (primarily because it contains thousands of photos and things like baby or wedding photos are truly irreplaceable), and second, I'd take a bag filled with the handwritten journals that I kept in high school, college, and the first few years of my 20s. (#memories).

10. What would constitute the "perfect" day for you? Really good pasta. A cinnamon roll for dessert. Time with the people I love--followed by some time alone. A nap. All enjoyed in warm, sunny weather with a margarita in hand.

If you're a blogger and would like to take a crack at some of the 36 questions, go for it! Just please be sure to link to this post (and to Hallie's), so that we can check it out. And if you don't have a blog, feel free to answer any or all of the Qs in the comments below. I'd be so interested to hear your answers and get to know you better! And who knows? Maybe even fall in love. ;)

Talk to me, people.