I use December to take stock of my life and to make plans for 2017. Already, I can see some exciting changes and opportunities on the horizon. It will take work and planning to bring them to life, and luckily those actions are in my control. Now’s the time.
Tag: future
Wonder: Stitching together my own silver lining
I’ve been looking for the silver lining of the last few weeks. I couldn’t find one so I started to stitch together my own. And with that decision, everything shifted. For the first time in a few weeks, I’ve started to feel hopeful about the future.
The new administration has already proven it’s going to be a nightmare, even and maybe especially for many of the people who voted for it. My chosen industry, healthcare, is now in a rocky position at best. I’m still recovering from that nasty fall down the stairs of my apartment building.
Then, I read and watch the news and I see how much suffering is happening around the world. Compared to so many, I have such a long list of things to be grateful for. I’ve got my problems, and plenty of them. I also have the ability to fix a great many of them, and I will in the coming year. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be without its hiccups and bumps, but I know it’s possible. And it’s up to me to make it probable.
Wonder: And there is the first crack in the economy post-election, right at my doorstep
The first economic casualty of this election found me yesterday. My favorite staff member in my apartment building told me that my landlord is outsourcing the staffing of the building in preparation for a recession that they think will hit in the coming months. The staff is being offered the chance to interview for the outsourced company, though there is no guarantee of a job and even if they do get a job, their pay will be cut and their housing subsidy will be taken away.
“Even if I get the job, they’re going to cut my pay by $3.50/hour,” he said to me. “And that’s going to hurt a lot. My last day could be November 30th if I don’t get this job. I was wondering if you could do me a favor, Christa. Would you write a recommendation letter for me that I could bring to the interview?”
My eyes teared up. This man has been a good friend to me, and really makes my building feel like home. He’s professional, kind, and caring. He loves his job and the people who live in my building. I’d pay double my rent to help him and the rest of the staff who do such a wonderful job helping all of us. I was prepared to take out my checkbook right there, and instead what he asked for was a letter. $3.50/hour is a lot to him; it makes the difference between being able to pay his bills and not being able to pay his bills. Let that sink in. He lives in D.C., a very expensive city, and makes less than $35,000/year before taxes, and that could drop to $27,000/year. That’s what he’s fighting for. That’s what he’d be grateful to get. This is the working poor. Right. Next. Door.
The President-elect, ensconced in his 3-story, 24K gold penthouse on Fifth Avenue, doesn’t care a lick about people like my friend. But you know what? I care. I can do something, and I will. I wrote my heart out in that reference letter for my friend. I’ll be writing a lot of letters in the coming days, weeks, and months. I’m not going to standby and watch our economy and our country go to hell in a hand-basket at the hands of an inexperienced madman and his cabinet of ignorants. Deplorable? Yes. Unstoppable? No.
Wonder: Staring Donald Trump in the eye and not flinching
Tonight, Donald Trump and his family were interviewed by Lesley Stahl for 60 Minutes. My first reaction was “I can’t watch that”. And my next thought was “I have to watch that”. I have to bear witness, because as ugly and painful as it may be, bearing witness is vital to democracy and freedom. For reasons I can’t quite share yet because they are still in the fundamental planning stages, it was crucial that I watch that interview. I need to look this man in the eye, albeit through a TV screen, and know exactly what we’re up against. His presidency is about to have an enormous impact on my life and the lives of so many others whom I hold dear. As an entrepreneur, innovator, product developer, writer, and activist, I have to listen so that when I speak and act I do so armed with truth and knowledge. Take heart, friends, the only way out is through, and together we will get through this.
Wonder: Good trouble’s comin’ to town
“Some of the sweetest berries grow among the sharpest thorns.” ~Scottish Proverb
The new administration has activated an ugly underbelly in this country. And it’s also activated something else it didn’t bargain for—you, me, and everyone else who cares about fair treatment, justice, and dignity for all people. Let’s not underestimate the power of persistent, unrelenting goodness and what Congressman John Lewis calls “good trouble“. Now that’s a rally cry I can believe in.
Wonder: Into the belly of the beast
As someone who has had both primary and secondary PTSD, I am well-acquainted with the intensity of the fight or flight response. I have been under the thumb of narcissists more times than I care to remember. I understand the impulse to run. Goodness knows I’ve done my fair share of running (like hell, might I add) to seek safety. Last night I had a little (okay, enormous) breakdown. My impulse in that moment was to run, anywhere really, and never look back.
My therapist, Brian, and I worked on this impulse for many years. We still work on it. (Sorry, Brian.) Sometimes running as far and fast and right now is the right thing to do. I’m going to go out on a limb and say most of the time I think running is the best option. (Or at least is has been for me.) And sometimes, every once in a very great while, there is nowhere to run. Brian taught me in these instances that we have to fight, and fight, and fight, and never give up on the ideals we believe in. He was the first to explain to me that my fierce sense of justice is a wonderful thing. And that it’s also an enormous pain in the ass because there will be some things, like narcissism, that I cannot help but stamp out until they are gone so that no one else will ever have to be subjected to them.
I write to you now from the belly of the beast, a meer mile from the Capitol building, less than two miles from the White House. And the belly of the beast is where the battles are fought and where the wars are won. If we are to stamp out injustice in our beautiful country and for all of the people who call it home, then it must be done here at the root. And here I am so it’s time to suit up and soldier on.
The opportunity is here. The time is now. And there are people who are counting on all of us to stand with them in solidarity and support. Failing them would mean failing everyone. Their future is our future. Their rights are everyone’s rights and everyone’s responsibility. Mine. Yours. And theirs. No matter what these four years hold, I’m going to be just fine in every respect because I grew up poor and scrappy and hungry and uncertain. I know how to live on next to nothing because I’ve been doing that for most of my life. It is now my job, and my honor, to stand up for others who are not as fortunate as I am now (I know their pain all too well) and who will be so grossly impacted by what’s ahead.
And I will. I can’t do anything but. If I ran now, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself anyway, anywhere, so best to take a deep breath, have a big glass of water (hydration’s important, people), and do the tough work of making sure that this atrocity never happens again.
Wonder: How I’m feeling this morning
To say that I am sad, disillusioned, and disappointed is an understatement. And here is something I won’t be: silent. I will raise my voice louder, clearer, and stronger than ever because now it counts more than ever. I am sick and I am tired of sexism, racism, bigotry, crudeness, narcissism, disrespect, and this fundamental belief that somehow dedication and experience isn’t important when it comes to government. If the new administration and its supporters think that for one second I will quietly live in a world of their design, they are in for a very rude awakening. Most of those states were won by very narrow margins which means that there are an awful lot of people who believe what I believe and the only way I’m going to find them is to call out in as loud, determined, and tenacious a voice as I have.
I believe in democracy. I believe in the people’s right to select its political leaders. I believe in our institutions. What I don’t believe in is change for change sake with no modifiers or qualifiers to tell us exactly what kind of change we’re getting. The markets are tumbling, and my great fear is that the rights of women as well as racial, ethnic, and religious minorities will follow. These 4 years could be the worst in our history, though I can’t in good conscience stand idly by. And I won’t.
Under the anger and disbelief, I am hopeful. Not hopeful about the abilities and intentions of the new administration, but hopeful about ours. I don’t need healing. I’m already healed. This election didn’t break me down. It made me tougher. What’s needed now is action, and I’m going to put my energy into building a better world and a better country that aligns with my vision of fairness, kindness, love, a strong work ethic, opportunity, compassion, and empathy. You with me?
Wonder: What I see in D.C.
When I walk out my front door, the first thing I see is the Capitol Building. I saw that beautiful, shining building as I went to vote. The first words many people across the country think of when they think of Washington, D.C. are “corruption”, “arrogance”, “ignorance”, and “out-of-touch”. Let me tell you what words come to my mind: “hope”, “opportunity”, growth”, and “change”.
This is the seat of federal government. It’s also the seat of a bustling entrepreneurship center and a vibrant arts community. It’s full of people who care about ideas that shape humanity, service to others, and change they can create through hard work, dedication, and heart. With the election a week away, it’s easy to feel like we’re a nation that can’t come together, that can’t tackle its problems. We’ve been here before and we’ve not only survived, but thrived. Our job now is to make that thriving a greater part of more people’s lives. We are leaving too many people behind – in healthcare, education, and the economy. The good of the many and the good of the one need to be on equal footing.
After traveling to so many countries, I still choose this one. I still believe that this is the best place to build dreams into reality. I’m still committed to doing the very best I can right where I am in D.C. Let’s work hard and work together to make this place a better place for all people.
Wonder: You and your vote matter
There are plenty of people who say voting doesn’t matter. Why bother, especially if you live in the city-state of D.C. that “doesn’t count” as I’ve been told by so many people. I’ll tell you why: because we need your voice. And we need my voice. And we need everyone’s voice. It’s amazing that we live in a place where we can select our government’s leaders. (Don’t you wish you could do that at work?!) The decisions that are going to be made here in the next few years – about healthcare, education, social justice issues, energy, and the environment – are going to have an impact on generations to come all over the world.I know you’re tired. I’m tired, too. I get the cynicism. I get the frustration. I get the anger. I feel all of those things in fits and starts, too. Don’t let them deflate you. They’re fuel. If we’re going to build a better world, we’ve got to do it together and we can’t do that sitting on our hands. Use them to get to the polls, cast your ballot, and then keep raising your voice. Keep fighting for things you believe in. Keep volunteering in your community. Keep standing up. Keep demanding to be counted. Keep writing. Keep reading. Keep striving. Keep going. You and your vote matter!
Wonder: A walk to remember
I’m used to walking hours a day with Phineas so since he couldn’t take a long walk, I took one for him on Saturday. I walked from my neighborhood across the city to Georgetown. We’re having an amazing weekend in D.C. with highs in the 70s, bright blue skies, and gentle breezes. It’s perfect weather.
Once I got about halfway through my walk, I started to feel a lightness. A funny sense of belonging, of feeling like slowly but surely I’m figuring it all out despite the stumbles and setbacks. I found a city I really love. Now I just have to find the right home. I found an industry I really enjoy working in, that I find fascinating, and that also supports all my creative projects like my writing and collage work. Now it’s just a matter of finding exactly the right fit. In the past two years, I’ve made a lot of big decisions and seen a long of progress. Now, it’s about refining and that realization gave me a lot of peace after a stressful week.
It’s amazing what can happen over time when we focus on making the here and now better.
Christa Avampato 