5 Things That Inspired Me In July

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer
3 min readAug 3, 2021

One of my new spiritual practices is to notice all of the different things in art, nature and community that move and inspire me through the month. I keep a list going in my journal and then enjoy reflecting on my favorite experiences at the end of the month. It takes some discipline for me to pay attention to the ways that I experience joy, pleasure and satisfaction — like so many of us, I’m more naturally inclined to get caught up in negative news, personally and globally.

As I deepen this practice, I am reminded that I have a choice to notice what is amazing in the world, in nature and created by us humans. To pause and appreciate. The practice of adding to my inspiration list lifts my spirits, gives me energy and makes me curious about what I’ll discover next.

Midsummer wildflower field in bloom

Presenting my list for July; I’d love to hear about what inspired you in the month that’s gone by and also about what you’re looking forward to in the weeks ahead.

Book: Seven Springs by Ellen Blum Barish. I had read an excerpt from this new memoir several months ago and was really delighted to connect with the author through an online writers’ group. Lyrically and poetically written, Seven Springs captures the author’s journey of healing as she unpacks the unprocessed trauma lingering in her body and soul from a childhood car accident. It is a meditation on life and death…

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Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer
Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Written by Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer

Writer, Educator, Mom. Disability advocate. Dog Lover. Teaching online workshops on writing + spiritual growth. www.gabriellekaplanmayer.com

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