“Going home doesn’t feel like triumph. It feels like relief.” ~Dr. John Bucher, Joseph Campbell Foundation executive director
A few weeks ago, I had the great fortune to listen to my friend and mentor, John Bucher, talk about The Odyssey at Los Angeles’s Getty Villa. The title of his talk was “No Place Like Home: Why The Odyssey Is the Story We Keep Retelling”. (His talk is streaming on YouTube and you can watch here.)
I’ve been thinking about the idea of home a lot recently. Homer’s ancient Greek epic The Odyssey follows Odysseus, king of Ithaca, as he spends 10 years trying to get home after the Trojan War. While he faces monsters, storms, and gods, his wife, Penelope, and son Telemachus fight off aggressive suitors taking over his palace. As John explains, it’s about the war after the war and finding an answer to the question, “How do we go home when home no longer exists?”
It struck me so clearly that Odysseus’s journey is in many ways like a quest all of us have had. For me, his journey parallels my healing from cancer. My 10-year medication journey like his 10-year trek. The dog who is waiting for him so faithfully and then passes once he’s sure of his father’s return – much like how Phinny passed once he knew I would be okay in every way. Odysseus’s home was nothing like the one he left. Neither is my body.
John went on to say, “We might prefer to skip the journey. What we learn is that the journey is worth it.” And I feel that in my every cell of my body. I hate that I got cancer. It’s not a journey I ever wanted to take, not a community of survivors I ever wanted to join. But I had no choice. The journey back to wellness was forced on me. I had to fight, or die. And I wanted to live, so I fought. It was worth it because I learned what I was made of at my core. I learned how people feel about me while I’m still among the living. Best of all, I got to help so many others by lighting the way along their own difficult journeys.
Home isn’t a place, at least not for me. Home is love. Home is belonging. Home is friendship. Home is being a part of something bigger than myself. Home is purpose. Home is something I carry with me, always, in all ways, everywhere I go.
Custom cupcakes I made for my friend’s book launch party
Today my dear friend, Amy Scher, published her first novel, The Unexpected Afterlife of Salon Rose. I’m so excited I got the chance to make her custom cupcakes for her book launch tonight in NYC.
My friends are my family and I will make the time, even when I’m short on time to do something special for them. Pouring love into our friendships, we get back so much more than we give.
The community we build carries us through difficulties, shares in our celebrations, and makes life better in every way. It’s the resource and gift that keeps on giving. It’s worthy of our time and attention.
I don’t know where I’d be without my friends, and I’m grateful I’ll never have to know.
THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my fundraising efforts for the Muddy Paws Rescue Pack Challenge! You helped me exceed my goal and every dollar will go toward life saving care for dogs looking for their forever homes. Beyond grateful to have you as part of the pack.
Fostering and volunteering with Muddy Paws is some of the most meaningful work I do and because of your generosity, we will keep going!
Though the Pack Challenge is over, the page remains open and still accepts donations so if you’d like to give, go to Give.muddypawsrescue.org/phineas2026
Together, we’re saving lives every day!
Here are photos of all my foster dogs from NYC ACC, ASPCA, and Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society, and my soul dog, Phinny, who I honor by fostering. 🌈💛🐾
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” ~John Muir
I grew up in the dirt, literally. There was (and still is) a tractor crossing sign across the street from the house where I grew up. My rural hometown fostered a childhood that involved climbing trees and making mud pies. When I was little, I was convinced that there was a dinosaur skeleton hiding under the ground in my backyard. I enlisted my sister, Weez, to help me dig and dig and dig. All we found was a small mouse skeleton, but I thought it was clearly a prehistoric mouse!
Nature and science have been sources of healing for me on this journey and throughout my life. Other kids wanted to be doctors, firefighters, or teachers. I wanted to be a paleontologist. I still do. Whenever I get to see my dear friend, mentor, and science hero, Dr. Ken Lacovara, I get to soak in all his paleontology wisdom. (More in a separate post later about his beautiful science museum, the Edelman Fossil Park, that I just visited with my wonderful friends, Wayne and Ernie.
My childhood was far from idyllic, but there were some very positive things about growing up in the sticks. I got my hands dirty in the process of making things. I grew up in a farming community. Animals were my friends and companions, as much as people. Maybe even more than people. I learned to appreciate the Earth, her majesty and her power. Weather was a way of life, and I still watch it with fascination and wonder. I also thought long and hard about being a meteorologist, and that dream led me to study environmental sustainability at University of Cambridge.
More people today talk about being eager to get into mud. There’s a trend of younger people returning to the land and regenerative farming. I completely understand that calling. It lives in my bones.
There’s something to be said for the slow life, the life we build rather than the life we buy shrink-wrapped and delivered right to our doorstep. Creation builds confidence and bolsters the imagination. It makes us self-sufficient. I’m all for it, for all of us. There’s a lot of beauty and authenticity down there in the mud.
In late August, I’m taking a trip north to get into the dirt, sand, and water. I just finalized those plans today. Adventure awaits. I can’t wait to take you with me.
The tiny shooting star in the lower center of this image is Comet Neowise pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited above the Mediterranean Sea in between Tunisia and Italy. July 5, 2020. NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Original image: images-assets.nasa.gov/image/iss063e040067/iss063e040067~orig.jpg
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Author H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Here’s something I caught myself saying too often for a long time, “I’ll do X when…” as if I was waiting for the perfect time, the perfect circumstances, the perfect me to emerge to do something.
Every once in a while I still find myself in that headspace. Habits are hard to break and they are annoyingly good at re-emerging just when we thought we’d changed them for good. Thankfully I catch myself when this happens now. As soon as this thought crosses my mind, I give myself a talking to.
“Honey,” I say to myself, “Perfection isn’t on its way. Not today. Not ever. Do it. Or don’t. But stop waiting. Just choose.”
Then I laugh and get on with it, or decide not to.
I’ve got a little list of things I’ve been waiting to do. Slowly but surely, I’m getting them done or at least giving them my best shot.
Three fun things I did recently:
1.) I applied to be an independent content creator for NASA. It was quite the administrative web to navigate but I did it and put in my application just before the deadline.
2.) I submitted a vulnerable piece of writing for the Modern Love column in The New York Times.
3.) I put in my application to be a volunteer at the 2028 Olympics.
Will any of this work out? Maybe, maybe not! But you know what? I’ll always be glad I shot my shot!
I’ve never cried during a halftime show of a sports event until today. During the FIFA World Cup between Spain and Argentina, the halftime show had a theme of love and the unifying power of music. For each other and for ourselves. Chris Martin of Cold Play and Global Citizen created it. I danced around my living room and sang along, so excited to see the breadth and depth of the performers from across the world: The Muppets including Sesame Street characters and The Electric Mayhem, Shakira with Burna Boy and Ghetto Kids, Staten Island’s PS22 Chorus, Jason Sudeikis in full Ted Lasso mode, conductor Gustavo Dudamel leading the New York Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber, and Emmanuel Kelly. I’ll be watching it on repeat here. An eclectic mashup full of unbridled joy is the boost I needed.
Joy was part of my care plan when I went through cancer. Every day, no matter what happened, I found something that brought me joy. Sometimes it was a song, a show or movie, a friend, a good test result, my dog, something delicious, taking a walk with my sister, sunshine. It didn’t take long after I was diagnosed to realize the secret of life is to love and be loved. It’s that simple and that complex.
Love saved me more than once on that journey – friends who got me to the ER and took care of my dog, care packages, cards, flowers, texts, phone calls, and emails when I needed to know I wasn’t alone in all this, my sister staying with me for many weeks while I recovered from surgeries, friends who got me grocery gift cards that I used when I was finally strong enough to shop for myself again, my business school friends who put together a recorded zoom and daily emails to spell out a secret message – “Stay Strong And Full Of Light.” I’m going to get that as a tattoo.
I’m reminded that in the midst of tragedy and sadness, a beauty emerges that isn’t always as apparent in good times. Maybe that’s because difficulty strips away some kind of inhibition that holds us back too often from saying and showing how we feel. During cancer I had the chance to hear things from people that are often only said during someone’s eulogy. One of the great gifts of cancer and almost dying is that I got to hear those things while very much alive. I’ll always be grateful for that and all the love that surrounded me. When I was down to nothing, love shone brighter than ever. Isn’t that something?
Using my new Beautiful by Drew plates today. Just for me.
We’ve all uttered the phrase, “Someday I’ll…” It applies to big dreams and small delights. Earlier this year, I’d planned to make brunch for friends. I’d worked out a lovely feast as cooking and baking are two of my favorite pastimes. I bought new cookware, bakeware, and plates for the occasion (thank you Drew Barrymore!)
The winter being what it was meant we decided to cancel, and sadly never rescheduled. I was sad about this. I never even opened the box of Beautiful by Drew plates. I just put the sealed box in the back of my closet for someday. After all, why should I have new plates just for myself. I’d wait until a special occasion. Every time I saw it, I felt a little pang. Missed opportunity. Missed connection. Missed fun.
Today as I was cleaning and reorganizing, I saw the sealed box. What was I waiting for, exactly? Why not use the new beautiful plates myself? I opened it, took out the new plates, and swapped out my old ones which are chipped and have seen better days. And thoroughly enjoyed them.
Over the past few months, I’ve been redecorating my apartment and rewarding myself with tiny splurges. These new plates, cookware, and bakeware. A few new small appliances in my kitchen. Painting my apartment. A few new pieces of furniture. New art. New books I’m excited to read. A new yoga mat. I’ve even learned to successfully take those spiderettes from spider plants and make whole new plants from them (a massive accomplishment for someone with no green thumb!) These are all small things that have brought me daily joy and they’ve added up to something wonderful – making someday today. We deserve it. We’re worth it.
So here we go – the first day of my month of reflection as I count down to my medication switch. One thing I’ve learned on this long cancer journey is that helping others helps me. Even when I feel down and out, and that’s happened many times over these past 5 years, helping others gives me a boost.
My souldog, Phineas, was a great comfort to me during this time so when he passed away in January 2024, I was absolutely gutted. That was the lowest I’ve ever been. A home without him was a terribly sad and lonely place. I tried everything to get through that time – grief counseling, donating, talking to friends, keeping myself busy with work and every activity I could find, writing my graduate school dissertation. I would love to tell you that helped but it barely moved the needle. You know what helped? Fostering dogs through Muddy Paws Rescue. Since November 2024, I’ve had 15 foster dogs and they gave me a place to pour my love for Phinny that was physically tangible. That’s what I needed.
That’s why I’m participating in the Muddy Paws Rescue Pack Challenge where I raise money to help save rescue dogs from now until July 23rd! And I’d personally love your support to help more people find their Phineas!
In addition to fostering with Muddy Paws, I also volunteer at events, review foster applications, do welcome calls for new fosters, and help the Development team raise money. Every dollar we raise goes to helping the dogs in our care. We get ~1,000 dogs adopted EVERY YEAR and this spring we celebrated our 10,000th dog getting adopted.
If you’ve been looking for a way to do something good for the world, this is it! Every single dollar helps me save more dogs. I’m so grateful for every single contribution, and so are the dogs.
Happy New Year! Each year I select a word to guide my thoughts and actions. In 2025, I chose Rebuild. Now, with that foundation, I’m ready to scale the efforts I’ve loved most.
2026 at a Glance:
The Word:Momentum (finding the moment within the movement).
The Focus: Scaling NYC’s Secrets & Lies, adopting a heart dog, and publishing in a dream publication.
The Goal: Moving from “rebuilding” to intentional acceleration in community, health, and creativity.
Within the word “Momentum” is the word “Moment”. That’s where I want to be in 2026 – in the moment, in every moment. I want to focus on my lived experience each day.
Even with all the challenges and difficulties in the world, in 2025 I found ways to build community through longer tables and creative projects that inspire wonder and curiosity. It’s made me so happy to reflect on that and think about how that can continue in 2026.
Here are some of the areas that interest me most. What are you thinking of in 2026?
Storytelling
I am beyond thrilled that my show NYC’s Secrets & Lies is back and that so many lovely people have filled out audience and graced the stage with their knowledge and humor. This show encapsulates so many things I love: storytelling, a celebration of NYC, history, laughter, and awe. I know how lucky I am to call this city home and I love nothing more than sharing all the wild stories of our collective past that still exists on every street. I’ve also made some of my very best friends because of this show, and those relationships have saved and transformed my life.
We started doing location-based shows with partners in 2025, the dream I always had, and I can’t wait to create more of those immersive environments for our audiences in 2026. Our show at the Seaport Museum was a huge success and they were wonderful to work with so I’m hoping we can do more projects together.
We’re already working on some fun plans during this very momentous year in our city’s history to celebrate:
NYC’s 400th anniversary
The country’s 250th anniversary
100th anniversary of Houdini‘s death on Halloween (yep – he was a New Yorker!)
National Pet Adoption Week in March
Our first outdoor show in April with Natural Areas Conservancy for Earth Day
Climate Week shows in San Francisco (nature in the San Francisco area) and in NYC (NYC food history)
A few things we’re considering in addition to our shows:
Free field trips where a group of us go to an interesting location in NYC and learn about its history
Reading club on historical topics
Potluck dinners with historical recipes
Entering the Great Borough Bake-off at Museum of the City of New York
Dogs
In January 2024, I lost my soul dog, Phineas, after 13 1/2 years together.2024 was a painful year. Sometimes I could barely breathe because the grief was so heavy. It was the worst grief I’ve ever felt. At the very end of 2024 and through 2025, I fostered 10 dogs through Muddy Paws Rescue and became an active volunteer with the organization. I never imagined I would become as involved as I am. More than anything else I’ve done, fostering and volunteering to save shelter dogs has helped me heal. I still miss Phinny every single day. I will miss him every day for the rest of my life.
2025 taught me how to carry the grief of losing Phinny and the joy of rescuing other dogs like him. He never left me, not really. I feel his spirit with me always. There are, sadly, so many shelter dogs who need forever homes. In 2026, I want to get even more involved with helping more shelter dogs. I don’t know exactly what that looks like yet.
I am ready to adopt my heart dog and especially excited to go through therapy dog training with them. My hope is that we’ll become a certified team so we can visit chemo patients and participate in library programs where kids read to dogs.
Writing
At the end of 2025, I pitched an article to my dream publication and they accepted it! This is the good news I hinted at yesterday—I’m so thrilled to finally share it. I’m working on the piece right now and will share it once it’s published.
I spent 2025 further honing my writing skills in different genres and formats, and now I’m excited to put more of it out into the world in more publications and platforms. I learn so much as a writer by reading, and I’m trying to read more books and better track the books I read in a fun analog way.
Learning
2025 brought me many opportunities to learn new skills and grow my areas of expertise. Some of them came through work and many of them I explored on my own. I continued my language learning and I want to build on that in the new year. I signed up for Masterclass again because a few of their courses caught my eye and there was a massive 50% off sale for the new year. My interests vary widely so a platform like Masterclass is perfect for me. I loved their programs that I took a few years ago so I’m excited to dive back into it. I’d also like to find more opportunities to learn alongside others.
Nature
In 2025, I graduated with my Master’s in Sustainability Leadership at University of Cambridge. That was an enormous personal and professional accomplishment. I fulfilled my dream of studying abroad with the most incredible group of people who inspire me every day.
I had hoped to transition my full-time work into climate but political circumstances being what they are in the U.S., that didn’t happen. Through writing my Togetherhood newsletter, storytelling, and advocacy work, I’ve been able to be involved with the climate community and aid collective efforts. In 2026, I’d like to explore more ways that I can help even if my full-time work is not rooted in sustainability. Sometimes, dreams take longer than we’d like. The route isn’t as clear as we planned. The planet needs tending, and in 2026 I want to find opportunities to use what I have where I am to be useful.
Travel
In 2025, I finally got to Italy and Scandinavia, two places that have been on my list for some time. In June, I’ll skip back across the pond to reunite with my Cambridge classmates in London for our now-annual get-together. I’m already looking forward to that. I also decided to plan more weekends away. That’s something I don’t typically do. I’m not sure why I’ve not planned that more often – maybe because I love NYC so much and there is always a lot to do here.
In 2026, I’m going to make the effort to explore more and visit more friends who live outside of NYC. I’m hoping to finally get to Asia, another area of the world I’ve not yet visited.
Home and Finance
I’m very lucky to have a stable living situation after years of being a market-rate renter in a city that is insanely expensive. I love my Brooklyn neighborhood and my apartment. In 2025, I crunched the numbers many times and it didn’t make financial sense to buy a place of my own because of the deal I have in my place now and the soaring interest rates and downpayment requirements. I’ll continue to keep an eye on that in 2026 to see if anything changes. In the meantime, I’m working closely with my financial planner to save for a home down the line. I’m also refreshing my space with some new design touches.
Love Dating apps did not bring me joy in 2025. Even the mechanics of them are off-putting to me. I know they work for lots of people, so I’ve not abandoned them completely. I’d like to put myself in situations to meet more people who share my interests, and maybe that will also include a partner who is as wonderful as my friends. That’s the only kind of partner I’m interested in having. It’s worth trying. At the very least, I’ll meet interesting people who become friends.
Health
And finally, my health is the basis of all my dreams. It’s really true that health is the first wealth. I learned a lot in 2025 about medicine, nutrition, exercise, and the value of rest. I healed from a few injuries and in the process learned how to better care for my body. In 2026, I’d like to refocus on more meditation – that’s a practice I fell away from in 2025 and I always feel better when it’s part of my routine. I experimented a lot with new recipes, and loved the art and eating of cooking and baking. I want to continue that and invite more people to have meals with me in my home.
2025 marked 5 years since my cancer diagnosis and I’m grateful for my restored health. In 2026, I’ll mark 5 years since the end of active treatment and finish taking one of my medications that may also lead to a change in another of my medications. While these are all positive changes, I’m always wary of new meds and med changes because of past experiences I’ve had. I’m exploring ways to support myself in that process – maybe through acupuncture, saunas, and other holistic modalities.
Some closing thoughts
2025 saw a lot of upheaval and pain around the world. Through donations to and volunteering with organizations doing work, I was able to help others and that is something I will always continue to do. Improving the lives of all beings and the planet has to happen as a collective, and I’m looking forward to using my good health, resources, and skills to further cultivate community and cheer loudly for others in 2026.
Happy New Year. I’m glad we’re here together. Long may that continue.
What is one area where you’re looking to find momentum this year?
The moon and the stars through the trees. Image by Christa Avampato.
Tonight, as we usher in the longest night of 2025, may we give ourselves the permission and grace to rest. Yes, the light begins to return slowly and surely as we move forward. But before us tonight lies the gift of darkness.
It is a time for dreaming, for reflecting, for remembering. It allows the light to shine brightest—from stars, from the moon, and from the people around us. Just as stars require the dark to be seen, we often find the best in others and ourselves during the darkest times. When confronted with difficulty, we rise to help each other.
We cannot get through this life alone. Relationships are the center of everything. Love is the center of everything.
This winter, I wish you peace. As the daylight grows, I hope the light within you and the light within me grows, too.
Christa Avampato 