For a long time I struggled with the pull between being a specialist and being a generalist. Lately I’ve found I actually didn’t have to choose. If, like me, curiosity itself is your muse and embracing the new is what gets your motor running, then stand by that passion. Follow it down every rabbit hole it takes you. Learn, build, and share with wild abandon. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a Swiss Army knife with an attitude of “whatever the challenge is, I’ll figure it out.” Make it your purpose to defy any definition and every day of your life will be an adventure.
Category: creativity
Wonder: Looking for my first home
I met with a new real estate agent on Tuesday and his first comment was, “Tell me about your home. What does it look like? What does it feel like?” I hadn’t thought of that. I was so caught up in the process, in the action steps needed to find a home and close the deal, that I hadn’t really thought of look or feel of the actual space.
Though it was hard to back out of the condo deal this spring, it was the right thing to do. It was a blessing. I was compromising, and little did I know that right around the corner would be an opportunity to have a whole house and exactly what I wanted. This is the most amazing thing about life—events that seem so unfortunate at first can be made into the very best things in our lives if only we have the courage and determination to make them so.
Wonder: Make your time matter
God willing, I’m not at mid-life yet but the truth is I’ve almost died a handful of times. On a few of those occasions, I barely scraped by. And maybe that’s why I am so driven and impatient. Maybe that’s why I abhor wasting time. Maybe that’s why I am utterly incapable of sitting down longer than 18 minutes a day to meditate. Sometimes, I think this makes me a complete lunatic. And then I read quotes like the one below from Brené Brown, and I realize that yes, I may be crazy, but there’s a method to and a reason for the madness. And it’s all okay. I’m just trying to make my life meaningful and to make my time matter.
”I think midlife is when the universe gently places her hands upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear: I’m not screwing around. It’s time. All of this pretending and performing – these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt – has to go.
Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts. I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy of love and belonging, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever.
Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. You were born worthy of love and belonging. Courage and daring are coursing through you. You were made to live and love with your whole heart. It’s time to show up and be seen.”
~Brené Brown
Wonder: Could an agrihood be developed in D.C.?
I watched a segment on CBS Sunday morning about agrihoods, housing developments that have a farm as their anchor. This isn’t community gardening; this is a true working farm, run by professional farmers who make their livelihood from the sale of its fruits and vegetables that are purchased by people who live within a few miles of the farm. We spend all this time and money building developments that have pools, retail space, and other glitzy amenities. Why not have healthy, local food and job creation be an amenity? Couldn’t D.C. do that?
Wonder: Why this 10-year-old from Paris gives me hope for the world
My Facebook feed is filled with friends who are angry, sad, frustrated, confused, and at a complete loss about why there is so much senseless killing happening. I am, too. I worry about what kind of world we’re leaving for our children, and then I read this article from Time about a 10-year-old-girl named Eva who lives in Paris. She was granted a PhD level fellowship. Her pitch was: “The streets of Paris are sad. I want to build a robot that will make them happy again. I’ve already started learning how to code on Thymio robots, but I have trouble making it work. I want to join the program so the mentors can help me.”
Yes, technology can isolate us. It can also be used to build a better, kinder, happier, and safer world. And I think that if we begin to think about technology the way that Eva does, we’ll be able to build a better world together, a world in which every life matters.
Wonder: What the Cox commercial of a dancing grandpa teaches us about technology
I love this commercial for its focus on the use of technology to connect people across generations in a spirit of joy and fun. This is the promise I’m intent on fulfilling in my new role as the Director of Envolve Innovation Lab, a healthcare tech innovation center owned by Centene, where I will be working on artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) products. I’m using my love of business, design, and technology to help people live healthier, happier lives. This is the kind of work I was born to do.
Wonder: Be patient with yourself
“Nothing in nature blooms all year. Be patient with yourself.” ~Unknown
You won’t be at the top of your game every hour of every day for your entire life. It’s a balance. Sometimes you’re flying high and sometimes you’re hiding under the bed. Life is a wild ride, not a steady path. I spend a lot of time being very tough on myself. I know a lot of you do, too.
So as a reminder to us all, let’s remember there’s an ebb and flow to our days. Enjoy the highs and learn from the lows. Understand that it’s all a cycle, and eventually all we really need to do is take care of ourselves, take care of others, and do as much good as we can wherever we are with whatever we have.
Wonder: Be everything that you are
“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.” ~Unknown
This quote bubbled to the top of my mind as I listened to Tom Friedman talk to Charlie Rose about his new book, Thank You for Being Late. We are pushed to go so quickly in this world, to change with the times. To keep up, grow, see, hear, and do faster, better, and more than ever before. It can lead us to be very tough on ourselves for not getting everything done perfectly every single time.
It’s no coincidence that this unprecedented level of change at an unprecedented pace has coincided with a happiness pandemic in the U.S. This article in MarketWatch outlines some of the reasons, but I think it’s Tom Friedman who’s really onto the crux of our deep unhappiness. We are much too hard on ourselves. We don’t let ourselves be beginners. We don’t let ourselves be works in progress. And we don’t let others do this either. We are going too fast.
So right now, take a moment. Think about what makes you marvelous, even the smallest slightest things. Maybe things no one else even knows about you. And then also think about all of the things you’re learning. Follow your curiosities with wild abandon. Don’t apologize for being at the start of your journey. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle, as Jon Acuff so beautifully said. Let yourself be amazing, and also be in the process of becoming someone even greater. And love all of you—who you were, who you are, and who will you be.
Wonder: My new podcast idea
For about a year, I’ve been thinking of creating a podcast. Several years ago, I received voice over training and made a commercial demo. I took a podcasting class through the DC Public Library in October. I’ve got all of the software and hardware that I need to get going. What I’ve been needing is the time, space, and an idea to make it happen. And now, those three stars have aligned and I want to run the idea by you for your feedback.
So here’s the idea: what if I invited a person or small group of people who are interesting and interested over to my house, made a meal, and let the conversation flow around a specific topic? And what if by listening to the podcast you would have a seat at the table, too, to hear everything that’s said? The conversation might go in any number of directions. It could be about about food, art, music, politics, a news event, society, fashion, technology, science, media, medicine, health, education, travel, books, movies, the past, the present, or the future. Or all of those things combined. Would you listen? Would you be a guest at the table and on the show?
Possible names might be:
– A Seat at the Table
– Sunday Dinner
– Sunday Night Dinner Party
– Breaking Bread
What do you think?
Wonder: Let’s be United Outside with REI in D.C. this summer
Tired of the election season already? Me, too. To take my mind off of the chaos, I’m excited about REI’s summer of events in and around D.C. just announced on Unitedoutside.com. Want to join me on some of these adventures (and have some s’mores along the way)?
This campaign is heralding the arrival of REI’s flagship store 2 blocks from my apartment in Washington, D.C. To gear up and celebrate its impending arrival on October 21st, REI has put together an incredible slate of events that kick off this week. Most of them are free and all of them are fun. From trivia nights to how-to workshops to outdoor movie screenings, there is something for everyone. They’ve also put together a handful paid excursions to places like Great Falls, Virginia, a kayak tour of the D.C. monuments, and outings to local restaurants like Cappy’s and Birch & Barley.
Getting outside into nature is one of my promises to myself this year and I’m so excited to have REI to help me plan and take those adventures! Let me know if this interests you and we’ll link up!
Christa Avampato 