“Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said; “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” ~ Alice in Wonderland
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ~ Saint Francis of Assisi
Tonight my friend, Dan, took me to see a screening of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, the journey that Alice takes on her second fall down the rabbit hole. In Tim Burton’s colorful, magical style, he re-creates a Wonderland transformed into a wasteland by the Queens of Hearts. The story unfolds as good battles evil, as a young girls grows into a woman, and as the repressed gain the confidence and courage to fight for freedom. It’s a story as old as time, and yet it’s something more, too. That’s why it’s my favorite book.
My favorite quote from Alice is the one about imagining impossible things. So often we spend our days saying why something can’t / won’t / shouldn’t work. We make excuses and justify inaction. How much of our time do we imagine impossible things, and then take them a step further as Saint Francis counseled us to do. Impossibility is an alluring things to strive for.
In Tim Burton’s re-telling, Alice is fighting the jabberwocky and to strengthen her own resolve, she begins to recite six impossible things. So I’m testing myself a bit tonight, imagining my own list of six impossible things:
1.) To ride the subway on a weekday morning with a car full of people excited for the day ahead
2.) A world where everyone has just enough of everything they need, and they’re content with that
3.) An education system that bases every ounce of learning on creativity
4.) Me doing advanced arm balance poses in yoga class
5.) A world that fully appreciates the wisdom of the aged, children, and animals
6.) A year full of days that feel like that first day of spring after a long, hard winter
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
“Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said; “one can’t believe impossible things.” 
Christa Avampato 
What a lovely list… #6 really spoke to me…how amazing if every day felt like that.
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Thank you for this,Christa – I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the movie – now I know I have to. Love, Mom xxxooo
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Nice list. I’d like to be able to really, truly appreciate the wonder of my children in every moment.
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I love that wish – I hope you do it! Children are such an amazing gift.
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