Month: June 2016

creativity

Wonder: A passing away

Christa Avampato

This week I was comforted, as I often am, by the words of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

My family faced a sad loss on Tuesday. Our dear family friend, appropriately named Faith, passed away. At the incredible age of nearly 85, she lived a happy, fulfilling life of service.  I was lucky to know her and she remains one of the kindest people I’ve known.

She was there for all of the milestones in my childhood, the good and the difficult. Birthdays, Sunday dinners, graduations. Her smiling face was there, camera in-hand to capture it all. She was a constant source of love and support. I think of her as one of my many aunties who helped me realize what kind of life I could have if I worked hard and was good to others. She instilled in me the sense that I mattered, and what I thought and felt and did was valued and valid.

When I heard she passed away this week, I was so sad. I felt a little light go out, but it was only a blip because immediately I felt that same light reignite, brighter and warmer than ever before. I’m sad that she’s gone from this plane and I’m so glad that she crossed over to a place free of pain and discomfort. I’ll see her on the other side, eventually, a long time from now. And I am as grateful for that as I am to have known her in this lifetime. RIL – Rest in Love.

creativity

Wonder: My post about optimism on Leadfully

Christa Avampato

“I have a blog post in mind for Leadfully that I think you’d be perfect to write. It would be a first-person piece sharing a time that you needed to boost a team’s optimism or creativity.”

This was a message from my friend, Amanda, a few weeks ago. And she was right. I have a very good story to showcase this. I’m very excited to say that this story, a reflection on the dark days of the recession in 2008 when I had just joined a financial services company, is now live on the Leadfully site. Would love your feedback, comments, and questions. And please feel free to share far and wide to anyone whom you think would benefit from it.

Check out “Using Optimism to Face an Impossible Assignment”.

 

 

 

creativity

Wonder: Stay open

Christa Avampato

Yesterday was a tough day. I got home and just felt wiped. You know that feeling, the one that says you can’t take even one more little thing. I just felt sad, and tired, and tapped out.

To get myself in a better frame of mind, I took a shower to wash off the day and then took Phin for a walk. I bumped into a few of my neighbors outside and had a nice conversation. We didn’t talk about anything life-changing – just our dogs and the humid weather. And then something shifted. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was. All of a sudden, I felt at home.

To be honest, I’ve been mourning a few things – the change in neighborhood, the fact that my condo deal fell through and I’m still renting, Phin’s difficulties adjusting with separation anxiety again. We also lost a dear family friend this weekend. She lived a long, happy, beautiful life, and still, I wish it wasn’t her time. I have a lot of friends who are struggling right now with so many things in their lives, and all I can do for them is listen and love them. And this is just what’s happening in my tiny world to say nothing of what’s happening to the world at-large.

It seems that a lot of people are grieving. In times of grief and change, I tend to cocoon myself. Maybe it’s a protective reflex. Maybe it’s because I need some quiet time to figure out how I think and feel about something. What I do know is that if I can stay open to possibility, to new insights and ideas, to the beauty that can come from change if only I can give myself time to adjust, then eventually things click. What seemed like a burden becomes a gift. What seemed like work becomes play. What was foreign becomes familiar. Openness paves the way for transformation if we can allow it the space to do its work.

creativity

Wonder: Know thyself and be happy

Christa Avampato

“Get back in touch with self-mastery because it’s the one thing that never goes away. You’re the one person you’re stuck with forever.” ~Mark Lack

I’ve been thinking a lot about ending and change lately, not in a sad way, but just as a natural part of life and evolution. In all this change, I’ve also spent some of my time thinking about what remains constant. It seems that almost everything and everyone shifts somehow. Faith can be shaken. Our minds can be changed. Our health, and the health of everyone we know and love, ebbs and flows. Neighborhoods turn over, for better or for worse.

Then I read this quote by Mark Lack and meditated on it. In my lifetime, the beat of my heart and the constancy of my breath are the only things I will always have and know everywhere I go. And that brought me a lot of peace and happiness. All the more reason to spend some time every day quietly getting to know exactly who we are at our core.

creativity

Wonder: Finding inspiration in healthcare technology

Christa Avampato

“Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability.” ~Sir William Osler

I spent a good part of the weekend delving into the most recent healthcare technology innovations. A number of publications released their lists of promising new possibilities, and I was astounded by what’s on the horizon.

In a time when there is so much negativity and heartbreak around the world, this reading lifted me up. Nanobots in the blood to fight disease, mind transfer, smart hospitals (akin to smart homes), simulators for surgical training, the simulation of disease outcomes, DNA transfer, the increased appreciation and value of mindfulness, and augmenting human capabilities with sensing prosthetics. The list goes on, and it sent my mind spiraling upward.

It was also a reminder that no matter how bleak the world may seem, the desire for all of us to live healthier, happier lives drives an incredible amount of creativity. The power of creativity and the role of imagination in building a better world is always something we can count on.

creativity

Wonder: Crowdsourcing the adoption of a new dog

Christa Avampato

Gabbi, a sweet rescue pup, wasn’t a match for Phin and I. She’s still very much a puppy and chews everything in sight. Yesterday she chewed through her foster mom’s leash! I’m sad, but also hopeful that we are one step closer to finding our perfect new pack member.

In addition to continuing the search with Operation Paws For Homes & Washington Animal Rescue League, I’m also crowdsourcing our search. Do you know a sweet, small, adult dog who loves dogs and people and needs a forever home? Phin and I would love any referrals!

creativity

Wonder: Will another dog fix my dog’s separation anxiety

Christa Avampato
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Gabbi – is she the next member of our pack?

The great gift of this last year is that I got to test out having a second dog to keep Phin company without the risk of it not working out. Otis was a fantastic companion for Phin, and still is. Now that we live across town, Phin is missing his buddy and today we’re going to meet a potential forever match for him.

This morning we’re trekking out to the great wilds of Arlington, Virginia to meet a terrier mix named, Gabbi. According to her foster mom, who is a professional dog trainer, Gabbi is about a year old, 20 pounds, loves every single dog and person she meets, and is equal parts playful and calm. Apparently, she is also a real clown who loves belly rubs. She’s housebroken, crate-trained, and quiet with a penchant for chewing on antlers.

I’ve got high hopes for her. I want her an Phin to be best buds. I want her to put Phin’s mind at ease and keep him company day in and day out. I want her to move seamlessly into the pack and settle into her forever home with us. That’s a lot to put onto the shoulders of a little girl like her, and I have a good feeling about this. I mean, look at that smile!

creativity

Wonder: Aim higher

Christa Avampato

“For most of us the problem isn’t that we aim too high and fail – it’s just the opposite – we aim too low and succeed.” ~Sir Ken Robinson

We tell ourselves frightening stories: we will fail and be humiliated, we will try and be disappointed, or we will put ourselves out there and be rejected. Those fears are real, but don’t let them weigh you down and don’t let them stop you. Use them. Use them as fuel. Stack a plan against those fears that will help you overcome them. Don’t aim lower. Aim higher, higher than even your wildest dreams would allow. And then work to meet them. We are so much more capable and deserving than we think we are.

creativity

Wonder: Telling stories takes you back in time

Christa Avampato

I’m working on a piece of writing for my dear friend, Amanda. She’s the best editor I’ve ever worked with, bar none. Whenever she asks me to write something for her, I jump at the chance every time. This particular assignment involved traveling back in time to the dark days of September 2008 when the world, my career, and my life was turned upside down by a frightening, unprecedented economic recession. I was working for a financial institution, an industry I swore I’d never join, and I was, in a word, terrified.

Rather than cower and hide, I rose up. To this day, I’m not sure where I found the strength. I guess the fear of losing my job and my livelihood was adrenalin for me. I took that energy that gets wasted by fear and used it to drive me forward, headfirst, right into the abyss of the unknown. I still shiver thinking about it. And then I smile. Time travel is a wild ride. We are so much stronger than we think we are.

creativity

Wonder: My moving angel

Christa Avampato

20160619_174243When I was a kid, I used to watch the show Touched by Angel with my mom. Since then, I’ve always felt that angels walk among us. And on my moving day, I came face-to-face with one of them.

I was stressed on my moving day, and I left the house to take Phin on his morning walk. There was a Scooby-Doo like blue van parked right outside the house exactly in the place that I had hoped my moving van could park in a few hours provided no one else had taken it.

I’d never seen the van before. A man who looked like Santa Claus, long white beard and all, was in the driver’s seat. The van was stuffed with all kinds of items from what I could see, and I assumed that the man was living in his van. I didn’t recognize him but I felt like I knew him. I smiled and waved, and he smiled back. When I returned with Phin, he was still there and again I smiled and waved.

Right around noon, the blue van pulled away and my moving van pulled right up to take the space. When I went out to greet the movers, I found the note pictured here stapled to the tree outside. Angels are all around us, especially when we need them most. Just when you think you’re down and out, all of a sudden you find support in the most unlikely places.