This is an image of all the beautiful faces lost on 9/11/01
Today I will be glued to coverage of the 9/11 commemoration. My first memory of seeing the wreckage is still burned in my mind. I was in a Chicago apartment, surrounded by friends, and mourning for my home city. My current office building sits right across the street from the World Trade site. I pass it every single day that I go to the office. It is visible from nearly every conference room where I have daily meetings. I consciously think about that tragedy and its wake all the time.
2 years ago, 9/11 etched another mark into my history of my time in New York. After my apartment building fire, in which I lost so many of my physical belongings and gained a level of insight into the magic of life beyond anything I thought possible, I moved into the tiny studio where Phin and I still live. I slept on a borrowed air mattress and had a tiny plastic bag of clothes. It was a sinking, lonely feeling. “Is this what life tangibly amounted to?” I wondered.
In the coming months and years, I would embark on a personal journey with twists and turns, peaks and valleys, tears and smiles. I would question everything and everyone that filled my life up to that point. I would break down in terrifying ways, physically and mentally, and then build myself up again sometimes for show and sometimes through true, authentic growth, though it was hard to tell the difference. I would have to tear down my conception of myself and the world before the fire so that I could rebuild my spirit post-fire from the inside out. It was gut-wrenching, beautiful work. And yes, those two descriptors can be felt in a single action. Eventually it became a good kind of hurt, the way a physical wound heals, the way my muscles rebuilt themselves after I ran the Chicago marathon in October 2001, almost a month to the day after the horrific events of 9/11/01.
Rebuilding over a space that is mentally, emotionally, or physically ripped apart is part of life. No matter how terrifying the act that caused the destruction, no matter the breadth and depth of the loss created, time goes on, and life right along with it. Anniversaries give us a way to honor our strength and bravery in that moment of loss, and also in the rebuilding it necessitates. We mourn and grieve, and then keep going. And there is no shame or embarrassment in that act of moving forward. It is required; who and what was lost would also want it that way.
Today on 9/11/11, I’ll be on my couch with Phineas. I’ll be reflecting and writing, listening and watching, as this day, 10 years later unfolds in a very different way than it did for our nation and the world a decade ago. My only goal is to bear witness, and feel whatever feelings arise, to be aware and awake, and feel grateful for the opportunity to do so.
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
2 thoughts on “Beginning: Another Meaning on 9/11”
I clearly remember that fateful day. I had just finished my dinner in India in my undergrad dorm mess when a friend came running and broke the news “A plane has hit World Trade Center”. I rushed to the TV room, and saw in absolute horror the events unfolding. It didn’t matter that day which nationality we belonged to, but seeing another fellow human being go through such trauma is something that I have never forgotten, and will never do.
I just pray that all the beautiful souls who lost their lives are in peace. Words are just not enough to describe how I feel.
Thank you. You write like a master story-teller: very persuasively.
You are brave to show your vulnerability. That is what is great about you. You are not afraid to share the saga of your life with readers.
Indeed, what happened on that eventful day was difficult for all of us. I am sure, therefore, that all of us can feel your pain and share in the sentiments you have expressed. It was an unfortunate, tragic event.
We hope and wish and pray for those who lost loved ones. You have demonstrated that you are able to get through difficult times.
Keep your chin up. Your feisty nature will get you going in no time.
Wish you all the best for the days to come. Peace . Cheerio.
Christa Avampato 
I clearly remember that fateful day. I had just finished my dinner in India in my undergrad dorm mess when a friend came running and broke the news “A plane has hit World Trade Center”. I rushed to the TV room, and saw in absolute horror the events unfolding. It didn’t matter that day which nationality we belonged to, but seeing another fellow human being go through such trauma is something that I have never forgotten, and will never do.
I just pray that all the beautiful souls who lost their lives are in peace. Words are just not enough to describe how I feel.
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Christa,
Thank you. You write like a master story-teller: very persuasively.
You are brave to show your vulnerability. That is what is great about you. You are not afraid to share the saga of your life with readers.
Indeed, what happened on that eventful day was difficult for all of us. I am sure, therefore, that all of us can feel your pain and share in the sentiments you have expressed. It was an unfortunate, tragic event.
We hope and wish and pray for those who lost loved ones. You have demonstrated that you are able to get through difficult times.
Keep your chin up. Your feisty nature will get you going in no time.
Wish you all the best for the days to come. Peace . Cheerio.
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