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5 Things That Inspired Me In July
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.
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, expression of emotions, carrying family wounds and finding strength and courage in friendships, nature and the Jewish spiritual tradition. So many of these themes resonate with me personally though I know that Barish’s story will carry meaning for readers from all backgrounds and experiences.
Podcast: Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast! With Frank Santopadre. I look forward to the new release of this podcast every week! Gilbert Gottfried has been one of my favorite comedians for so many years and in this podcast homage to Show Biz greats, I take pleasure in both his rapport with co-host Frank Santopadre and his incredible cast of guests. In July, the podcast provided a platform for another favorite icon of my childhood, Gabe Kaplan, who shared the craziest stories about his days starting out in comedy. (When I was a kid and ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ was popular, people actually used to ask me if Gabriel Kaplan was my father since my name was Gabrielle…
