Christmas, faith, religion

Step 360: My Christmas Story

Christa Avampato

My faith has morphed over the years. I was raised Catholic, thought for a bit about being a Unitarian and a Buddhist, and then through yoga thought that Hinduism may be a possibility. Finally, I happily settled on being interested in religion and calling myself spiritual without affiliation.

So it came as quite a surprise that Christmas Eve found me in a Methodist Church pondering my faith again. I went with my family to the First United Methodist Church of Orlando. I really went because I wanted to support my sister; she’s on staff there and runs all of the communications for the Church. She and my brother-in-law were married in that church and both of my nieces were baptized there. Plus, I love Christmas carols, of which there are many at the family service.

And then a very odd thing happened. The Head Pastor gave a sermon about people unlikely to call themselves religious. He talked about Joseph and his very serious consideration of leaving behind his family and his faith. After further contemplation, he felt something greater than himself asking him to stay, to persevere, to not give up. He talked about people who have considered giving up on their faith, people who doubt and question, people who feel like they don’t really belong to any affiliation. The remarkable thing is that he didn’t talk down to those people; he didn’t criticize them. Quite the opposite – he invited them in. In a moment of silence he asked us to bow our heads, close our eyes, and raise our hands if anyone felt like they might belong to one of those groups, and would like the congregation to pray for them.

I found that the idea of staying, just sticking around to see how it goes, made my eyes water, and I raised my hand. I did need the prayers he so generously offered. On Christmas Eve I felt a little lost, a little out-of-place, but still moved to further explore my faith, and even considering that spiritual without affiliation may not be enough for me anymore. And even though I felt lost, I also felt that I was in exactly the right place, as if that Pastor, and maybe even the Universe, knew what I needed far better than I did.

We closed the service by lighting candles and walking together out of the church singing Silent Night. I was surprised how warm the light of my candle felt, alarmingly warm. I felt a little message in that flame. If I stayed, maybe some answers would show up, answers that in all of my exploring I have not yet been able to find. Rather than dashing here, there, and everywhere, maybe I just needed to be still, and wait, and listen.

That’s my Christmas story this year. How did it go for you?

The image above makes me remember how much can be found through faith. Find it here.

Uncategorized

Step 359: Holiday Greetings from Christa and Phin

Christa Avampato
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Uncategorized

Step 358: Movement and Change as Seen by The Year in Pictures

Christa Avampato

The New York Times put together its annual review of the year in pictures. Every year I’m stunned by everything that’s happened in our world. The earthquake in Haiti, and then the earthquake soon after in Chile. The volcano in Iceland. The Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The oil spill in the Gulf. The World Cup in South Africa. The rescue of the Chilean miners.

Photographers are such a treasure who capture moments that help us remember these monumental events with great emotion. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think its worth something beyond words, something we just can’t capture in language. They transport us to a different time and place, they increase our capacity for compassion and empathy, and show us an alternative existence, one often wholly unfamiliar to us. Through pictures, we live many lifetimes.

The ones that truly leave me with my mouth hanging open are the ones depicting the dynamic nature of our planet. We think the ground we stand on is so steady, but it’s no wonder we experience so many shifts in our lives. Everything around us is shifting all the time. It’s in our nature to shift and change, to catch and release, to live on the peaks of mountains as often as we live far below in the depths of the valley. The only thing we’re certain of is that where we are today, what we see, hear, and feel will be different tomorrow.

So take the day today and really look around, take in the view, take in every detail your senses will absorb. We will never pass this way again exactly as it is at this moment. Each one its own special gift made just for us.

The image above depicts the eruption of the volcano in Iceland earlier this year that completely shut down air travel in the northern hemisphere. It can be found here.

meditation

Step 357: Listening for Answers

Christa Avampato

“Put very simply, prayer is when we ask the universe for something, and meditation is when we stop and listen.” ~ DailyOm

At this time of year, people are offering up a lot of prayers. We are looking toward the new year to start fresh, to create and work toward new goals and dreams. We ask for signs to tell us we’re on the right track, that we’re heading in the right direction to actualize our potential, to find our calling. It’s tough work; no wonder we want some reassurance along the way.

But how often do we play the game of asking for assistance and reassurance only to get going as fast as our legs will carry us. When we ask for help, we have to slow down enough to receive it. Putting our questions out into the universe is very important; it helps us to crystallize what we really want out of our lives. It’s equally as important to then close our eyes, breath, and go within to listen for the universe’s response. Meditation, something as simple as just breathing with intention, can help to raise our awareness and recognize the signs that we’re seeking.

Listening intently takes more effort and offers more rewards that we give it credit for.

The image above can be found here.

Christmas, holiday, story

Step 356: Fun With Popular Christmas Folklore – Figgy Pudding, Yuletide, and More

Christa Avampato

I was in church with my family on Sunday morning and the Minister told us the story of the candy cane, how it was shaped like the staff of a shepherd to symbolize the important role of the then-lowly shepherds in announcing Jesus’s birth to the world. At the time shepherds were considered unclean and unfit for enlightened life. The fact that they were chosen as the first people to greet the new-born king is no coincidence, and the idea of fairness and equality are themes echoed through out Christmas teachings. I’ve enjoyed numerous candy canes over the years and never thought twice about why they had that specific shape or how they came to be. That got me thinking about folklore and how many ideas and concepts have roots very different from our current understanding of their meaning.

I took the liberty of doing some holiday research to uncover the origins of several popular Christmas terms that have cool stories on par with the candy cane story I heard in church. Many thanks to Wikipedia for its endless collection of little known tidbits. Enjoy!

Sugar plum: what makes them so tantalizing that they’d be dancing in children’s heads? “Plum” in the name of this confection does not mean plum in the sense of the fruit of the same name. At one time, “plum” was used to denote any dried fruit. Sugar plums can be made from any combination of dried plums (aka prunes), dried figs, dried apricots, dried dates, and dried cherries. The dried fruit is chopped fine and combined with chopped almonds, honey, and aromatic spices, such as anise seed, fennel seed, caraway seeds, and cardamom. This mixture would then be rolled into balls, often then coated in sugar or shredded coconut. Okay, I get it. Sounds delicious!

Yuletide: turns out that Christians know a good party when they see it! Yule or Yule-tide (“Yule-time”) is a winter festival that was initially celebrated by the historical Germanic people as a pagan religious festival, though it was later absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas.

Figgy pudding: with or without bacon (thank you John Denver and The Muppets), is this dish really as simple as it sounds? Figgy pudding is a pudding resembling something like a white Christmas pudding containing figs. The pudding may be baked, steamed in the oven, boiled or fried.

The history of figgy pudding dates back to 16th century England. Its possible ancestors include savory puddings such as crustades, fygeye or figge (a potage of mashed figs thickened with bread), creme boiled (a kind of stirred custard), and sippets. In any case, its methods and ingredients appear in diverse older recipes. Today, the term figgy pudding is known mainly because of the Christmas carol “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” which repeats, “Now bring us some figgy pudding” in the chorus, indicating that it was a Christmas traditional dish served during the season and thus might potentially be given to Christmas carolers.

Tempted to make your own figgy pudding for your holiday table? Try this recipe.

Christmas stockings: why did Santa decide to tuck presents into wet socks? While there are no written records of the origin of the Christmas Stocking, there are popular legends that attempt to tell the history of this Christmas tradition. One such legend has several variations, but the following is a good example: Very long ago, there lived a poor man and his three very beautiful daughters. He had no money to get his daughters married, and he was worried what would happen to them after his death.

Saint Nicholas was passing through when he heard the villagers talking about the girls. St. Nicholas wanted to help, but knew that the old man wouldn`t accept charity. He decided to help in secret. He waited until it was night and crept through the chimney.

He had three bags of gold coins with him, one for each girl. As he was looking for a place to keep those three bags, he noticed stockings of the three girls that were hung over the mantelpiece for drying. He put one bag in each stocking and off he went. When the girls and their father woke up the next morning, they found the bags of gold coins and were of course, overjoyed. The girls were able to get married and live happily ever after.

This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas.

Silent Night: I love this story behind one of the most loved Christmas songs of all time. The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the words two years earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.

In his written account regarding the composition of the carol, Gruber gives no mention of the specific inspiration for creating the song. According to the song’s history provided by Austria’s Silent Night Society, one supposition is that the church organ was no longer working so that Mohr and Gruber therefore created a song for accompaniment by guitar. Silent Night historian, Renate Ebeling-Winkler Berenguer says that the first mention of a broken organ was in a book published in the U.S.

Some believe that Mohr simply wanted a new Christmas carol that he could play on his guitar. The Silent Night Society says that there are “many romantic stories and legends” that add their own anecdotal details to the known facts. You can still visit the chapel today, and its is known popularly as The Silent Night Chapel.

I’d love to hear any other Christmas time legends and stories you may uncover this holiday season!

The photo above depicts traditional figgy pudding.

faith, nature, religion, science, season

Step 355: Faith and the Total Lunar Eclipse

Christa Avampato

This morning there was a total lunar eclipse coinciding with the Winter Solstice – it ended about an hour ago. The next time that will happen will be in 2096. My brother-in-law, Phineas, and I went out to see the beginning of it. I won’t be around to see the next one. My brother-in-law has a shot at the next viewing. We both figured it was worth the sacrifice of sleep to bear witness.

Astronomers must be the happiest people on Earth, the ones most at peace because any everyday annoyance actually doesn’t matter. 100 years in the life of the universe isn’t even equivalent to the blink of an eye. It’s practically insignificant. Every disappointment, sadness, loss, betrayal. None of it is really worth being that upset over when we consider that the night sky that we’re looking at actually happened a minimum of 100 years ago – the stars are that far away from us. It’s mind-blowing. What we were looking at last night, for the most part, doesn’t even exist anymore. When we gaze up at the starts we are staring centuries back into the past. It’s mind-blowing.

And it makes me think that to be in the presence of something so awesome there must be more out there. It just couldn’t all be placed this way by luck. Beauty of that magnitude, concepts that stretch out minds and move our hearts so much, can’t be generated solely by chance. I looked up at the Earth’s shadow crossing the moon so perfectly, feeling our insignificance and greatness all at once. And all I could think was that there must be some reason, and that we must have faith.

The image above depicts the beginning of a total lunar eclipse and can be found here.

television, writer, writing

Step 354: Matthew Weiner, Creator of Mad Men, Gets Nostalgic at 92Y

Christa Avampato

“I spent my entire complaining that no one ever listens to me and now look what happened. I can’t believe I’ve gotten to have this experience. I say this at every talk I ever give and no one ever prints it: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for caring this story.” ~ Matthew Weiner, Creator of Mad Men, at the 92Y on Thursday, December 16th

I went to the 92Y on Thursday night to hear Matthew Weiner speak. I’m an enormous Mad Men fan because I love the intensity of the writing and how true he is to the time period. I left the talk loving Matthew Weiner as an inspirational writer who believed so much in the power of good content and in his Mad Men concept. He used the pilot script for years as a writing sample, his calling card, to get writing jobs. When he began to seriously shop it around after finishing his time as a writer for The Sopranos, HBO turned it down.

Weiner talked a lot about nostalgia, “the pain from an old wound”, and its place in the lives of the characters and fans. “In the 1960’s, being an intellectual was in style,” he said. “Advertising used to be a dead-end, a haven for creative people with lofty aspirations.” Now advertising, in its traditional sense, has fallen out of favor as viral and social media mechanisms have become more effective and efficient. The men of Madison Avenue must shake their heads and wonder how their world changed to drastically. “I’m writing a story that everyone knows the ending to,” Weiner stated. “It’s really a recipe for disaster.” And still, we watch. The power of nostalgia, of the desire to know and understand a time so different from ours and yet not that far into our past.

The concept of “The Other” also dominated quite a bit of airtime at 92Y. Weiner is fascinated by the concept of a foreigner, an outsider, someone who doesn’t belong. These Others are the truth-sayers, the mirrors for the rest of us who try so hard to push away any story that doesn’t fit our own narrative. The Other, in life and in good storytelling, has the ability to expose injustice and get at the reality underneath> They foreshadow what’s to come, just around the corner, no matter how much we deny the impending events. So long as The Other stands with us, we are forced to face the music, to recognize that life as we know it will never be the same. The Others are what cause heroes to rise up and villains to fall, eventually.

I loved Weiner’s raw honesty on stage. he was fully and unapologetically himself, neuroses and all on display. He didn’t put on airs. He didn’t try to be someone he’s not. He didn’t hide or dodge a single question or comment. His emotions and responses were authentic and genuine. Success seems to have had little effect on him except to shock and surprise him. He’s at once enormously proud of the work and pinching himself to make sure this is all real. He’s the kind of writer that should serve as an inspiration for anyone trying to make it in the world with this demanding craft. “If you push stories away, they’ll destroy you.” Better to tell the tales we have as fairly as possible, take whatever praise or lashings they garner, and keep going. It’s the only way to both persevere into our futures and preserve the pasts we come from.

commitment, creativity, imagination, inspiration

Step 353: Clearing the Mind for Creativity

Christa Avampato

“Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.” ~ Dee Hock

A few nights ago I was having trouble falling asleep. It’s a condition I used to be very used to having had insomnia for so long but now I’m closing in on a year of relief from that condition. Now a minimum of 7 hours is the norm for me and I never let myself get up out of bed anymore should I wake up in the middle of the night. So the lack of sleep a few nights ago was a surprising and disturbing event. Something was bothering me. There seemed to be no good solution to the situation I was grappling with and no matter how many times I turned it over in my mind, I couldn’t find my way out of that rut. The worst part was that it wasn’t even my problem to solve; a friend of mine is struggling with a personal issue at the moment and I was trying to think of an encouraging plan to pass along that might be helpful. No luck, and it really irked me. At first, I didn’t understand why.

I’ve read stories that say Isaac Newton did his best work by thinking of a problem and then promptly taking a nap. Einstein used his music and water-color painting to take his mind off of physics. Thomas Jefferson believed that having a lot of interests, and creating his own productive distractions actually made him even more productive when he focused on one specific task. E.B. White commented that walking away from a piece of writing for at least 24 hours before doing any editing aids our perspective. All of these methods help us find fresh eyes.

So to get myself to sleep and hopefully help my friend simultaneously, I made up my mind to forget about the problem. The moment the thought entered my mind, I said hello and promptly showed it the door. I was determined to do whatever I need to do to make the situation blur out of focus in the hopes that when I came back to it, I would have a better understanding of it.

The next morning, I realized why I was so stuck: 1 or 2 different turns about a year ago, and I would have found myself in the same situation as my friend. I would have made some very rash, heady decisions and felt crushed by the consequences. That fear mixed with relief, and the accompanying guilt and sadness for my friend, was clouding my vision. I couldn’t provide any help because the thought of being in the same situation myself scared the daylights out of me. Once I separated myself from the situation by taking a break from it, I was able to more creatively and compassionately assist my friend with some honest, actionable advice.

The next time I find myself turning a predicament, I’m taking the same course of action. I’m clearing out the clutter before I even attempt to focus. I’ll write down the problem and then immediately take it off my mind, letting it rest in the background of my mind. We want quick resolutions and immediately, correct answers but creativity doesn’t always work like that. Sometimes we have to take the counter-intuitive approach and let it go before we can really embrace it.

I didn’t create the cartoon above but it made me laugh out loud. Truth in comedy. Find the image here.

creativity, imagination, loss, love

Step 352: Re-imagine

Christa Avampato

“They say improve and maintain. I say destroy and Re-imagine.” ~ Tom Peters

Last week I was really struck by the beautiful op-ed that Yoko Ono wrote about John Lennon, how when she thought about their life together and their relationship what she remembered most were the simple moments of laughter. John Lennon encouraged us to imagine a life very different than the one we currently have, to expand our sense of what’s possible and to not accept things as they are but to work toward something better.

I’m not one for maintaining. I get bored maintaining what already exists. Once I’m in maintenance mode chances are I’m moving on soon. Movement makes sense to me. Movement helps to keep my imagination alive and active, and my imagination is one of the sole reasons I have the really wonderful, blessed life I’m grateful for every day. There are pieces of my life that could always be better, pieces that I would like to tear down and start over. It’s always possible to begin again, it just takes some extra strength and faith, and some courage, too.

Re-imagining is the activity I’m turning to post-holiday. For now, I’m in Florida, hanging out with my family and mixing some fun and some relaxation. Just the idea of that re-imagining work ahead makes me giddy with excitement and keeps me looking forward just beyond where I stand now. It is work, for sure, but it’s work worth doing.

The image above depicts Yoko Ono and John Lennon and was taken by Kishin Shinoyama.

choices, courage, creativity, curiosity, decision-making, design, work

Step 351: Beauty – One of Life’s Non-negotiables

Christa Avampato

“I think “beauty” has a (prominent) place in every project.” ~ Tom Peters

I’d go one step further than Tom Peters and say if you are living somewhere, doing something, or learning something and you can’t find any beauty it, then move, do something else, and pick another topic. I know that this week I espoused about how life is long and we have more time and space than we actually realize. But your life and the amount of time you have is not enough to warrant the wasting of it.

I’m one of those efficiency junkies. I despise waste of any kind, whether the resource is tangible or intangible. I especially hate having my time wasted. I kind of self-implode without a vertical learning curve. Actually, I don’t know how to live without one so if I feel even a tinge of boredom, my mind is off and running. What never fails to captivate me is beauty, and I especially treasure ironic beauty – moment and places that don’t seem beautiful on the surface but with a little digging have a great abundance of beauty underneath.

In 2011, I’m not doing a single personal project that doesn’t have a kind of beauty that inspires me. Truly, I refuse to struggle through projects or experiences or someone else’s decisions that don’t make any sense to me. I can’t do that anymore. I’m done with dreading any place, or project, or event. If what I’m doing isn’t useful to me, or you, or the world at-large, then I’m going to find something else to do. The world needs so much help right now and we need eachother.

I have a lot to offer in the way of resources. We all do. Talent, time, experience, care, and concern (perhaps the most underrated resource of all!) We can no longer afford to do work that doesn’t matter. We are what we do.

The beautiful image above is not my own but I think it’s stunning. It can be found here.