While we grapple with the battle that lies ahead in our country, I’m finding joy, solace, and rest when I need it in nature. I’m fortunate to live in a neighborhood in New York with a lot of green space. I’m close to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and my neighborhood’s streets are lined with towering London Plane trees that are nearly 130 years old.
When I walk outside of my apartment, I always pause to look at the trees on my block. They have seen so much change, and have continued to rise, to survive. In my meditations, I imagine myself as one of them, reaching ever upward toward the light.
As I was coming home last week, I saw a small vine, climbing up the side of one of the London Plane trees. Small and purposeful, determined to defy gravity through its efforts, on tiny step at a time. How can we keep moving forward, reaching up, even as forces attempt to drag us back?
Crocuses
On a particularly cold day, I saw the crocuses pushing through the bare, frozen ground. They would not be kept from the sun any more. It was time to bloom. I saw them in a small garden at Bowling Green near the ferry terminal, waiting for my friend, Ashley, so we could go together to Ellis Island. (More on that adventure in a separate post.)
“Aren’t they beautiful?” I heard a man’s voice say.
“They are,” I replied as I turned to face him. “Crocuses are small and mighty flowers.”
“What did you call them?” he asked me.
“Crocuses,” I repeated. “They’re the first flowers to bloom. They tell us spring will be here soon.”
“You mean they tell us we made it? We made it through winter?” he asked.
I laughed. “Yes, that’s right. We made it.”
We high-fived. “I learned something today. Miss, God bless you. I’m gonna tell the people who take care of this garden about this.”
I’m stilling think about this man’s joy as he realized we had made it through, that perhaps our best days are still ahead of us. How can we hang onto that idea in the midst of turmoil?
Daffodils in Prospect Park
March’s flower is the daffodil. As a March baby, I always associate their arrival with my birthday. It’s also the official flower of New York City. My dear soul dog, Phineas, loved to put his beautiful, formidable snoot right into them when we’d walk together in Central Park so they always remind me of his beautiful spirit.
My soul dog, Phineas, smelling daffodils in Central Park
On my way to an appointment on Thursday, the first day of spring, I smiled as I saw legions of daffodils swaying in the soft wind. Nothing would keep them from heralding a new season. Nothing would keep them from their joy. Not the rain or the cold or the grey skies. They were born to sing. So are we.
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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Christa Avampato 