This week, I got some very exciting news today about my storytelling dinner with New York City secret history, all inspired by my time in Ireland: my #1 choice for a museum partner is very interested! Friends, swing for those fences and make ’em high. You never know what you can do until you try.
Month: June 2018
A year of yes: Business is personal
I’d like to meet the person who coined the phrase, “It’s not personal. It’s business.” Nonsense. A business is made up of people. It’s the very definition of personal. Humanity and business are one and the same. We need more business people who understand that.
A Year of Yes: Writing at dawn
“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.” ~Rumi
When everything’s quiet, late at night and early in the morning, there’s a magic time when anything we dream with raw creativity and hope. That’s when I write, when I’m fearless.
A Year of Yes: Finding peace in a time of difficulty
The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
I’ve been thinking about this poem a lot lately. I’ve been listening to the anxiety and sadness of my friends, and of the world. I’m struggling a little to find the best ways to help as many people as I can, as well as I can. And sometimes that desire to help, that feeling that I’m just not doing enough to that end, overwhelms me. So a poem like this that reminds me to find comfort in nature, seen and unseen, and always felt, helps me breathe a little easier. Once I have my breath again, I can keep going, doing as much as I can with what I have. And knowing that that is enough.
A Year of Yes: NYC’s Secrets & Lies at Caveat is 1 week from today
What do rent control, an underground world in Brooklyn, a lady real estate mogul, women’s suffrage, and wild New York City teenagers have in common? They’re all a part of the NYC’s Secrets & Lies lineup at Caveat! Our storytelling show on Monday, June 18th at 7pm, features 4 wild but true stories about New York City history and 1 big lie. Guess the lie correctly, and you might just be the lucky winner of our amazing prize courtesy of our friends at Untapped Cities. I hope to see you there! Grab your tickets at http://caveat.nyc/event/new-york-citys-secrets-and-lies-3/.
A Year of Yes: How to get through difficult times
I used to wish for a world where terrible things never happened. Then I realized that almost everything is out of my control. So now I work on having the strength to survive and thrive the terrible things, and to help others do the same. That’s something we can all do.
A Year of Yes: You do you
The greatest part of being an adult is that you get to define who you are. That’s your domain, your choice, and yours alone. Rest and revel in your authenticity. It’s all yours. Happy weekend.
A Year of Yes: What to do when you don’t know what to write next
We don’t always know what’s around the bend in our stories. What can we do? Stay open. Stay curious. Stay committed to building a better world through writing your story. Keep learning. Opportunities to do well and do good are everywhere. Find them.
A Year of Yes: Do Something
“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up & do something.” -Barack Obama
Today I hope you do something meaningful to you: write, make art, teach, help, support, encourage, listen, love, share. There are so many ways to make a difference & so many people, animals, and causes that need us.
A Year of Yes: Today, I’ve been back in New York City for a year
A year ago today, I moved back to New York after a couple of years away living and working in D.C. My time in D.C. was very valuable and though I thought about making it my home, there really was never any place for me except New York. The rhythm of this place, the opportunity and dreams it holds, and its energy are all the right match for me. What feels really good is that in this magical year, I learned for the very first time what it feels like to be home. Sometimes you have to go away to find out how much something means to you. I’ve left New York City multiple times, and I’ve always eventually come back.
What I love most about this city is that we’re all having a collective, individual experience. You get to have your New York and I get to have mine. They’re the same streets, the same subways, the same sky. But no two people have the same New York. Every inch of this city has seen someone fall in love, and someone have their heart broken. Every inch has seen the whole span of human emotions from happiness to anger, from hope and to despair. I used to tell people that I’ve lived most of my adult life in New York City. Now I tell them I’ve lived many lives in New York City.
I was coming home from a trip to Ireland last week, and there was a man from Dublin looking around JFK airport, wide-eyed and completely lost. I asked if I could help him navigate his way into the city, and he happily accepted the help. He said to me, “It’s always been my dream to come to New York.” I told him it was mine, too, and that it still is, every single day. And before we parted ways on the subway he thanked me for my help and said, “You’ve already made me love America.” For him, America is New York. And that’s true for me, too. I’m a New Yorker first, and an American second, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I love this town with an unbridled, unrivaled passion. And as hard as some days are, I’m always grateful and fully aware of how fortunate I am to live here. Thank you to everyone who supported me and cheered me on as I made my way back here a year ago, and re-invented a new life for myself these past 12 months. I couldn’t have done it without you. Here’s to another year of discovery and transformation in our wondrous, turbulent city.
Christa Avampato 