Less than an hour’s drive from Washington D.C., there are ghosts that have found a new and unexpected life. There are 185 archeologically-documented shipwrecks in Mallows Bay, part of Charles County, Maryland. The area is about to be declared an official marine sanctuary and is literally overflowing with wildlife in the water, on the shores, and inside the ruins of the boats. Once the weather gets a bit warmer, I’m looking forward to seeing it for myself and photographing it. I love a good story of redemption and life restored to something considered long gone.
Yesterday, Marc Maron had director Todd Haynes on his WTF podcast. They talked about the first movies they’d ever seen in a theater and how those movies shaped them. The first movie I remember seeing in a theater was The Secret of NIMH. I was 6. Right around that same time, my grandmother took me to see the original movie Annie. Those two movies shaped my love of powerful and personal narratives.
The Secret of NIMH fostered my already deep love for animals and my disdain for those who are cruel to them. The main character, Mrs. Brisby (a rat) was caring and compassionate, but also tough and brave. That was the first time I realized one person could be all of those things. She felt compelled to protect those she loved, and also to protect and rescue those who were being marginalized.
Annie showed me that we can define the word “family” on our terms, and demonstrated how music can unite people and move a story along. I also remember being completely wowed by the Indian character, Punjab, and I absolutely loved the dancing. If I close my eyes, I can still see that mansion. I couldn’t believe that anyone had a house that big and that extravagant.
I guess it’s no wonder that I ended up working in theater and environmental conservation, and why my passion for those causes continues to this day. It all started when the lights went down in a theater, and a light started to glow in me.
What was the first movie you saw in a theater and how did it shape you?
“If you sense there must be more, there is more.” ~Alan Cohen
Have you ever thought this: “Is this all there is?” This has happened to me, oh, maybe several hundred times in my life. Maybe thousands. At some point, it happened so often that I just lost count.
And here was my second thought every time: “Of course there’s more out there. Go find it.” And I don’t mean more as in more money, notoriety, or some other superficial possession. I mean more in terms of inspiration, better health, more happiness, peace, love, joy, passion, knowledge, adventure, and all the good things that make life worth living.
I didn’t always know where to find it or how to get it. I had to work hard for it. I had to make difficult choices. I had to take the long view. I had to go through hard times and plenty of uncertainty to find the good stuff. But I did find it, always, eventually, in spades. And I’m grateful for it every day, every time.
There are more of these things for you, too. For all of us. And I want us to be brave enough to go out there into the world and get them and share them. In 2016, let’s do that, okay? Okay.
“Don’t think. It complicates things. Just feel, and if it feels like home, then follow its path.” ~R.M. Drake
I’ve started 2016 embracing this idea. Our guts are so powerful and wise and intuitive. They know the way home. They know exactly where we should and shouldn’t go, whom we should and shouldn’t be with, and what we should and shouldn’t do. They know far more than our heads, far more than our hearts. And no, we often can’t explain a gut feeling. It doesn’t need explanation. It needs only action. So trust it. Follow it. Believe it. Even if your head and your heart are conflicted, don’t waste time and energy questioning the gut. Just know that, now and always, it has your back.
“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” ~Rumi
How many times have you wondered if you’re good enough for a job, a person, or just something wonderful? Understand this: you are enough. You are so much more than enough. Forget about being too young or too old for something. Forget about your regrets and self-doubt and fears. That thinking doesn’t serve you. You’re better than that. You’ve always been better than that. Now go get the life you want, the whole life you want, because that’s exactly what you deserve.
Here’s the only way to meditate: you have to sit down and close your eyes for some amount of time on a regular basis.
I’d say daily, but that freaks people out. I’d say 18 minutes a pop, but that also freaks people out. A friend of mine recently asked me if I could help her learn how to meditate. I gave her ideas, techniques, and tips of how to make sitting there with yourself tolerable for some length of time, but ultimately whether or not my friend wants to meditate is really the deciding factor.
I shared my practice—every day, at some point, I sit on my couch, turn on the timer on my phone for 18 minutes, turn off every kind of device that makes a sound, close my eyes, and do nothing. (The 18 minutes is purely an arbitrary number that just works for me and take my 18 minutes whenever I can get it – morning, noon, or night.) Sometimes I’m happy. Other times I’m less happy—meaning angry, sad, disappointed, frustrated, sick, or just in a funk of some kind. No matter what my emotional state, I sit there and just be and breathe. Most of the time, Phineas crawls into my lap and goes to sleep. There’s no magic formula. That’s it. That’s all I do. It’s enough for me and it’s enough for you, too.
You don’t need any fancy clothes, sitting apparatus, or pricey classes and workshops. You don’t need permission. You don’t need someone to tell you how to do it. All it takes is practice and a desire to practice. The rest you’ll learn along the way. Your breath and your heartbeat will teach you everything you need to know.
I can tell you this about my daily meditation practice: I never regret it.
Somehow Andra Day’s album Cheers to the Fall had escaped my notice until I saw her on the Apple commercial with Stevie Wonder. Now I can’t stop listening to it on loop on Amazon Prime. There’s something so painful about her lyrics and yet so strong about her voice that strikes just the right chord to keep me hooked until the very last note. If you haven’t yet, give it a listen and get ready to dance, cry, and reflect.
Two things I’d like to do more of in 2016 is teach and be personally involved in theater again. To get that going, I’m teaching a free playwriting workshop, On With the Show!: Playwriting and Performance, for kids ages 6-12 at 826DC’s office at 3333 14th Street (Columbia Heights neighborhood) on Saturday, January 9th, and Saturday, January 23rd, from 1pm – 3pm.
Together we’ll learn about storyboarding, plot development, character development, and snappy dialogue. To register your child, visit the 826DC workshop website and fill out this form. See you there!
To keep myself in a constant pursuit of wonder, meet my Wonder jar. Every day, I’ll be writing down things that I’ve done, seen, heard, and experienced that remind me of all the joy that life has to offer. I love the start of a brand new year. Though every day is a new beginning, there is something particularly special about January 1st. I wake up excited and ready to get going. I was more than happy to say goodbye to 2015 and welcome the start of 2016 with open arms. In this new year, I hope we find ways every day to celebrate the world around us, lift up one another, and pursue our wildest dreams. Happy New Year!
Christa Avampato 