creative, creative process, creativity, fear, feelings, work

This just in: Don’t unpack your bags – a lesson from Saturday Night Live

Christa Avampato
Saturday Night Live - 1980s
Saturday Night Live – 1980s

Yesterday I watched a documentary about Saturday Night Live in the 1980s. The show struggled so much after its first five golden years. It lost a lot of its people, its mission, and its way. And it wasn’t a matter of finding it again. A very small group of people, some original and some new, scrapped the entire format and started over from scratch. Brave, and frightening. Just like life.

Many of the cast members—Billy Crystal, Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus—talked about not unpacking their bags. They all had month-to-month leases and were never really sure if they’d made it. Even when things were going very well, they were always on edge. In so many of those old sketches and outtakes, I could see the nerves, spontaneity, and spark.

It got me thinking that as much as we are creatures of comfort, habit, and routine, maybe we do our best work when we don’t have any of those things. Maybe those nerves that keep us on our edge give us our edge. We shouldn’t be looking for comfort at all. What we need to do our best, most creative work is a manageable dose of anxiety and fear. Our magic is not is doing the work we know we can do, but in biting of more than we can chew, in taking on precisely the projects that are beyond our reach. We should go where we think we’ll fail. We rise when we have something to shoot for that seems impossible.

community, community service, food, health, volunteer, Washington

This just in: I’m a new volunteer at Food & Friends

Christa Avampato
Food & Friends
Food & Friends

Today I went to new volunteer orientation today at Food & Friends​, a local D.C. nonprofit that prepares and delivers healthy meals, groceries, and nutrition counseling to people in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia who have life threatening illnesses. 10,000 volunteers help make their work possible and I’m very excited to join them. I’ll be cooking, delivering meals, and helping at special events.

If you’re looking for a great volunteer opportunity, they always need extra hands and hearts. Individuals, groups, and people of all ages (including kids) can be a part of their work on a very flexible schedule. I love this quote from one of the people who has received meals from them: “This isn’t just about food. It’s about life.”

I hope you’ll join me!

books, child, childhood, children, education

This just in: An education is for the good of the many, and the one

Christa Avampato
Goal: a high-quality education for every child everywhere

I recently read a quote that books (and thereby, learning and education) can’t solve everything. They don’t fill an empty belly, stop violence, or provide much-needed healthcare. And I beg to differ. I’ve felt hungry, afraid in an unstable environment, and sick without healthcare. Books helped me, and continue to help me, take the long view. They help me to believe in a better, brighter tomorrow, and they empower me to build that tomorrow with my own two hands, and my mind, and my heart. Books make me powerful.

In my saddest and darkest hours, my education literally saved me. It helped me to keep looking up, and to keep trying, when it seemed like all of my efforts were in vain. No, maintaining our grit and determination in the face of adversity isn’t easy, and yes, it’s tempting to take a shortcut and go off the tracks and give up. But if we will go just one more day, no matter how difficult or embarrassing or discouraging, the light at the end of the tunnel is there and it is ours as much as it is anyone else’s. It was there for me, and it’s there for every child who can find a way to keep going.

We have within our power, in one generation, to make that happen for every child, everywhere. It will be expensive, though not nearly as expensive as not doing it. Think of how we could change the world if we could educate every child.An education is for the good of the many, and the one. That’s not just an idea, that’s a revolution. That’s a movement.

creativity, happiness

This just in: The joy of continuous improvement

Christa Avampato
Joy
Joy

“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” ~Mark Twain

Perfection is a shiny object in the distance that’s rarely, if ever, achievable. I chased perfect for most of my life, and eventually its dance wore me out. I gave up on perfect, and have never looked back. Rather than racing around after it, I’ve learned to sit still and breathe. I learned to realize that what I have, right now, is perfect for this moment. I have everything I need right now to be healthy, happy, and whole. Nature’s not perfect so why do we expect to be?

These days I put my effort into steadily improving myself from the inside out rather than trying to be perfect. Every day, I try to be better than I was the day before. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. And that’s okay.

Life is messy and complicated. It’s full of magic and heartbreak. That’s just its nature. Things get torn down to make room for something new. Over and over again. And we don’t always know why. I’ve found that the real joy is in the bouncing back from hard times and the gratitude we feel and show for the good times. Nothing’s permanent, so let’s enjoy what we’ve got right now.

children, education, learning

This just in: I made the choice to have millions of kids

Christa Avampato
All the children of the world are my kids.
All the children of the world are my kids.

“Christa, why aren’t you having kids?” I get this question a lot, and not without a fair bit of judgement. And here’s the reason: by not having kids of my own, all the children of the world are my full-time concern. I’m extremely passionate about public education and the wellbeing of children. It’s the main reason I took a job as Product Manager at ed tech startup STEAM Engine, Inc. Improving all of their lives through learning is my goal.

I’ve read many autobiographies of people who transformed their corners of the world, and I aspire to be one of those people who makes an enormous impact that lasts far beyond my own lifetime. One thing that every single one of these people mentions is that their mission to change the world required them to spend less time with their families, and specifically their children, than they would have liked to spend.

They reasoned that many other people, particularly those who are most vulnerable, needed them more than their own children needed them. I’m not going to debate whether or not that’s true. It’s how they feel. It’s a conscious choice they made and had the courage to tell the world about.

Of course it’s absolutely possible to have kids of our own and have a full career, too. So many people have shown us that and I tip my hat to every single one of them. Many of my friends are the most incredible parents and highly successful in their careers. I’m in awe of them. The great balancing act and sacrifices they manage isn’t something I could do gracefully; I know my limits. So, I realized I had to make a choice, a very personal choice that is right for me. And I decided, for me, I wanted to devote everything I have to the pursuit to help all kids through my career.

I mean to use the 24 hours I have every day to make a high-quality education for every child everywhere a birthright. It’s not a luxury or a nice-to-have service. It’s not something that should only be given to those of good fortune. It’s as vital as breathing, eating, and sleeping. We are all given this tremendously complex, wondrous piece of machinery called the human brain. It’s the greatest invention ever made, and I feel physical pain from the idea that some children, by simple luck of the draw, don’t get the chance to develop their full mental potential. It’s unacceptable and intolerable, and I’ve got to do something about it.

So, am I having kids? I already have kids. Millions of them. They need me, and I plan to use my career, time, and energy to be there for them. All of them.

animals, nature, Washington

This just in: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the National Aboretum are sanctuaries of peace in D.C.

Christa Avampato

Phin and I found two more peaceful and beautiful sanctuaries within D.C.’s borders. Yesterday, we visited Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens and the National Arboretum. Plenty of wildlife sightings (including adorable otters!), soft winds, and spring vegetation to enjoy. Best of all, they’re only a 20-minute drive from our apartment. Phin did a bit of padding around (and rolling around) in the soft grass and we both soaked up the sun on this very summer-like day. Looking forward to spending a lot more time in these two places as the seasons change. Both are free, easy to get to, offer plenty of parking, and are part of the National Park Service. Picnics welcomed!

animals, celebration, dogs

This just in: A Toddler’s 6th Word is Phineas

Christa Avampato
Hip hip hooray! Go Phineas!
Hip hip hooray! Go Phineas!

Yesterday I was scolding Phin on the sidewalk because he got ahold of a chicken bone and wouldn’t let go. A mom walked by us with her two toddlers, and one of the two toddlers raised her arms up to the sky and said, “Phineas! Phineas! Phineas!” Her mom started laughing out loud and said, “That’s amazing! Phineas is my daughter’s sixth word.”

By then Phin had noshed on the chicken bone and swallowed it. He sat there like a little prince, quite proud of himself as the little girl cheered him on. As angry as I wanted to be, I just couldn’t find it in me. If someone was on the street chanting my name, I’d continue doing exactly what I was doing, too.

literature, writing

This just in: My essay Help in the Ashes was published by Earl of Plaid Literary Journal

Christa Avampato
Blue Collar Royalty
Blue Collar Royalty

I’m really excited to share that Help in the Ashes, a personal essay I wrote about my apartment building fire and the work of healing I did in the aftermath of it, was just published in the literary journal Earl of Plaid. This is my first piece selected by a literary journal, and I’m thrilled to be included with the other authors in the volume entitled Blue Collar Royalty, the first of their quarterly journals that includes nonfiction essays.

You can read my bookmarked essay by clicking here.

creativity, dreams, grateful, gratitude, sleep

This just in: My bedtime practice of writing down my blessings

Christa Avampato
My blessings journal
My blessings journal

“If you want to sleep more soundly, count blessings, not sheep.” ~Dr. Robert Emmons

I read this quote in a book recently and decided to give it a try. Though this week was stressful, this nightly practice really did help me appreciate the good things that were happening right alongside the tough things. Despite the scare with Phin, I could stay focused on getting him the best care and appreciate my loving friends, the sunshine, the flowering trees, my comfy home, and all of the new adventures ahead of me.

It’s easy to let life weigh us down. Living is hard work. Living fully is even harder work. But we can do hard things. We can pick ourselves up and keep going and keep recognizing that while life is difficult, it’s also pretty amazing.

simplicity, sleep

This just in: Rest is underrated

Christa Avampato
"Take rest; a field that is rested gives a bountiful crop." ~Ovid
“Take rest; a field that is rested gives a bountiful crop.” ~Ovid

“Take rest; a field that is rested gives a bountiful crop.” ~Ovid

I had big plans for these three weeks before I start my new job. An endless list of things I wanted to do in the city and day trips to Charlottesville, Baltimore, and Annapolis. I’ll be able to do some of them but the list will be cut short so that I can keep a close eye on Phin for the next two weeks while he heals. I’ll have to schedule my life a bit differently during this time and save the road trips for a later date.

There’s a lesson here in all this for me. Many lessons, in fact. There is something to be said for rest, for choosing to do the things that really matter and not just running around like a looney simply for the sake of running around. I’m more of the looney variety by nature. So with this extra down time, I’m finishing the first round of edits on my novel, reading a stack of books about public education to prepare for my new job, enjoying the sunshine, and resting.

This change of plans is a gift and though I wish more than anything that Phin didn’t have to go through this recovery period, I’m also very grateful for what he is teaching me. Now, and always. Love and rest make for a powerful kind of magic – healing.