Category: time

adventure, beauty, opportunity, time

Beautiful: Everyday Celebrations

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest
From Pinterest

If you replaced the cat in this photo with a fuzzy dachshund, this would be me and Phin. Everyday we celebrate something. Even if it’s just the sunshine. Even if it’s a rainy day that let’s us stay in and enjoy some serious R&R. Sometimes, it’s a trip to someplace exciting. Most of the time it’s just the miracle of being alive and in good health.

It’s so easy to let life get us down. Things don’t always go our way. Most of the time, they never work out exactly as we expect or want them to. But in 37 years I’ve learned that I can’t fight life. It unfolds in its own way, in its own time. The mystery of its inner workings is not for me to control, but rather something for me to be curious about. Everyday celebrations remind me that even in the midst of difficulty, there’s always a little light.

apartment, choices, decision-making, home, time

Beautiful: We Get What We Settle For

Christa Avampato

56c4727c6ae55ca9ddfedcc23445eb2e“We get what we settle for.”

This powerful statement is one of the most incredible lessons I learned working with my therapist and coach, the amazing Brian. I used to think of settling as such a negative word, as if it meant we were somehow giving up or selling ourselves short by settling. Brian turned that around for me.

I learned this lesson in a big way yesterday when I secured my new apartment. Phin and I will be taking up residence at a new place in our neighborhood on April 15th. I wish I could have found a place that was a little bit cheaper, sans any broker fee (though they did give me a discounted fee), and a full one-bedroom. Still, the place is beautiful. I get to stay in my lovely Upper West Side neighborhood right across the street from the park. Because I’m sticking with my current management company, the paperwork was a lot less than it would have been otherwise (especially since I work for myself). It has all the conveniences of my current full-service building and is newly renovated. I will continue to enjoy my western facing view, can break my current lease without penalty, and won’t waste any time hunting for a new home on a tight timeline.

I settled. The new apartment isn’t perfect. I didn’t get every single thing I wanted, but it’s a wonderful fit. And that’s what settling is all about – doing the very best you can with what you’ve got.

career, choices, decision-making, time

Beautiful: The Doors of Our Lives

Christa Avampato

3c33fede4cc8d8cc5206d8873851c641“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” ~ Flora Whittemore

I’m in the midst of choosing among different doors, literal and figurative. I’m looking for a new apartment. I’m considering where to take a long vacation this summer. I’ve got several new career opportunities in front of me – I’m now trying to decide whether to take all of them, some of them, or none of them. At the ripe old age of 37, I’m thinking about what matters most in my personal life and how that should take shape going forward.

While these big decisions can be daunting, I also have to remind myself that this is the real stuff of life. This is the fun stuff. Choosing which doors to open, which paths to take. Each of these choices alters the course of the journey, in big ways and small ways, and I am so fortunate to have the ability to decide which way to steer. Life doesn’t happen to us; it happens because of us.

creativity, time, vacation, work

Beautiful: 2 Surefire Ways to Improve a Vacation

Christa Avampato

It is always great to get away from daily living to give ourselves both a physical and mental break. No matter how long I’m away, I always have a little stress that sneaks in on my last day of vacation. This stress could be dramatically reduced in two ways:

1.) a private jet for travel
2.) someone who does all of my work while I’m away so I don’t have to come back to mountains of it

I wonder which is more likely to happen first!

change, learning, time

Beautiful: We All Start at Zero

Christa Avampato

24abfabdc74313ace0d933ee8697247d

My mom took us to see the Nutcracker for Christmas. My oldest niece, Lorelei, takes ballet classes and was very excited to see her first ballet. She loved it but was very quiet as we made our way back to the car after the show. She whispered that she was worried she might never be as good as the dancers on stage because they know so much more than she does. She’s 5.

I told her that she didn’t need to worry about that, that we all start from zero. We are all born a blank slate, knowing nothing. With time and practice, we can do anything we want to do. It is about choice and dedication. She looked at me with her very pensive eyes and smiled.

This is true in every aspect of our lives. We’re all strangers at first – to ourselves and to each other. We grow and change and learn. That’s the course of every life. We’re all in this together.

happiness, humor, time

Beautiful: Silly Time

Christa Avampato

cffd2f62332499f07ed635d93038748bThere’s always time for silly time. And it’s so good for us.

beauty, happiness, time

Beautiful: Let. It. Go. A Birthday Wish.

Christa Avampato

46fd853c65ec61773970609f9059c266Here is my one mantra today on my 37th birthday. I’m letting go what doesn’t serve me to make room for more beauty, happiness, wonder, and magic.

career, choices, grateful, gratitude, time

Beautiful: The Art of Living

Christa Avampato

63b511e384dfa2398a6f4ae9b3f63a6aLast weekend, I read the New York Times opinion article by Erin Callan, former CFO of Lehman. Having climbed to the top of the corporate ladder, she found that the view wasn’t worth the work it took to get there. She gave up a lot of her life to reach that position and in the article she expresses profound regret. I am glad that I took the leap from that path long before I lost my perspective.

Now my life is a work of art, and for that I am immensely grateful.

action, calm, time, vote

Beautiful: No Time Like the Present

Christa Avampato

It’s time to stop saying “I can’t” and start finding a way toward “done”.

family, time, travel, vacation

Beautiful: Trading a New York State of Mind for a Florida State of Mind

Christa Avampato

7fc4ceabaf49fec6884473bce8bfb40bWhenever I hear Billy Joel sing “New York State of Mind”, I get a little misty-eyed. Call me a sap. This is my city and I love any and every tribute to it. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a loony bin here and you need to be a little crazy to call this place home. When God doled out the crazy genes, or at least the ability to tolerate and even revel in it, I got more than my fair share.

Just as it’s good to step away from work to feel more energized about it, it’s also good to step away from our homes to appreciate what they offer. So off I go to the sunny skies and sandy shores of Florida, one of my 4 annual pilgrimages to see my family, horse around with my nieces during our spontaneous the-world-is-our-dance-floor dance parties, and shop with my mother and sister at places like Target and Publix, the stalwarts of suburban life where everything closes by 9pm and Ellen DeGeneres is queen. It’s such a different pace of life than mine in New York, and I welcome it.

Also, my pup, Phin, is there while I hunt for and settle into a new apartment that’s quieter and more spacious for the two of us. I wish I could tell you I am more excited to see my family than my dog, but it’s just not true. They’re even-steven. I miss his fuzzy face on a minute-by-minute basis and can’t wait until he’s with me again full-time. In the meantime, he’s being lavishly spoiled by my mother, a devout dog lover who thinks canine-liness is next to godliness. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, folks.

I’ll also be rounding the bend into year 37 on the 17th while I’m in Florida. My sister asked me what I’d like to do for my birthday. Honestly, I just want to relax as much as possible, take a few long walks, barbecue, and watch cartoons with the people I love most – in that order. The older I get, the more fun I find in the ordinary.

While I’m away, my posts will be considerably shorter, composed mostly of images and a few words. I hope you enjoy them as much as I’m prepared to enjoy Florida.