“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” ~ Paul Boese
While I was at Elena Brower’s 9/11 memorial yoga class yesterday, this quote kept running through my mind. Is it possible for us to forgive the horrific acts of 9/11, and if so, what would it take?
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things we can do, and it’s not for lack of trying or wanting to be more forgiving. We’ve made forgiveness more difficult for ourselves because too often we think that to forgive means to forget, even though the two have no business sitting alongside one another. The past cannot be undone. We cannot unsee, unlearn, or unhear even the most painful things, even the things we wish we could erase.
But here’s the trick: we learn from all of them, particularly the ones that are difficult for us. And just because we extend forgiveness, it doesn’t mean that we forget the lessons of our pain. It doesn’t mean that we go back to the way things were before we were hurt. It doesn’t mean that we lose the right to feel loss, sorrow, or grief over the things that have harmed us. It gives us permission to feel all of this, and then some.
Forgiveness means that we give ourselves permission to carry on unburdened. We give ourselves permission to smile again, to feel joy, to part the curtains and let the light in again. Forgiveness means that we release what’s heavy and dark from our past to clear space for the blessings that are now upon us. Forgiveness isn’t about “them” and what they did; it’s about us and what we will do going forward.
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.
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1 thought on “Leap: How to Forgive – A 9/11 Lesson”
Christa Avampato 
What an incredibly powerful and healing post.
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