Harley King

Photo by Johari King

"Study your fears for they have much to teach you.  Some fears protect us from danger.  Other fears predict the future.  Some fears are false and worrying about them keeps us from enjoying life.  Other fears are worthless and should be discarded."

— Harley King

American Poet / Speaker

1949 -

Have you examined your fears?  They have much to teach you?  Are you afraid of riding on elevators?  Do you know why?  Are you afraid of driving a car?  Do you know why?  It is important that you understand where your fears came from.  Understanding your fears will help you over come them.

I read a story recently about a man who in the middle of a violent storm went out of his house to move his car because he was afraid a tree would fall on it.  While he was sitting in the car, the tree fell on the car and killed him.  Sometimes our fears predict the future.  I learned this early in my marriage.  My wife is very good at sensing danger in the future.  Where we lived we had to drive 25 miles to a movie theater.  About ten miles into the drive, she sensed something was wrong so we turned around and went home.  Now I can never prove that something would have happened, but in my heart I know we made the right decision.

One of those fears that we should discard is the fear of rejection.  Many artists, writers and actors face rejection and it can hurt emotionally.  And sometimes our fear of rejection keeps us from sharing our work with the world.  Rejection by others can not harm us unless we let it.  You know your work better than anyone.  Don't let people's prejudices and ignorance stand in your way.

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Harley King

"The more I try to be perfect; 

the more I fail."

— Harley King

American Poet, Speaker, Storyteller

1949 —

Much of my life, I have tried to be perfect: the perfect son, the perfect student, the perfect husband, the perfect father, the perfect writer, the perfect speaker and the perfect employee.  But I failed every time.  I have never been able to live up to the image I had myself or that others had of me.

And most people can not live up to the images that other people have of them.  I am sure that you have favorite writers or artists whose work you love.  Yet, if you ever read a biography of the person, you realize that he was not as good in his personal life as you imagined  him to be.  All our heroes have clay feet.

It has taken me years, but I have made progress.  I worry less today about being perfect.  In fact, I have learned to celebrate my failures.  And to enjoy making mistakes.  It is okay to be human.

How about you?  Are you a perfectionist?  Are you trying to live up to the image that others have you?  Or have you let go of your need to be the perfect writer?  The perfect painter?  The perfect singer?  Do you celebrate your mistakes?

And to help us celebrate this summer, here are a few of my summer haiku.

lightning bugs

    flicker in the neighbor's lawn . . .

        another June gone

at the crack of the bat

    the crowd roars to its feet . . .

        full moon tonight

family picnic —

    lightning bugs

        among the voices

heat wave —

    sharing watermelon

        with friends

a monarch lights

    on my sweat-covered arm . . .

        and is gone

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Harley King

"Sometimes memory is the only gift we give ourselves and the only hope we have of finding our way home."

— Harley King

American Speaker/Writer

1949 -

Here is the poem from which this quote comes:

First Love

by Harley King

A purple sun rises

from the ashes of her soul

and changes the color 

of heaven.  I play chess

with God and listen

to His stories about the old days

when Abraham walked

by His side and David wrote

songs of love.  She died

in a car crash at the age

of sixteen, at a time when

we both were virgins and

Martin Luther King was

assassinated in Memphis.

Even God cheats at chess

and forgets to take a shower.

Hold my hand, she said as

she led me down to the muddy lake

where we gazed at a yellow moon

and traded kisses for a few

precious moments.  Sometimes 

memory is the only gift we

give ourselves and the only hope

we have of finding our way

home.  I listen to God belch

and wish that I could hold

her hand one more time before

the sun rises over my grave.

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Harley King

"May you wait patiently for your success with the belief and confidence that it will come."

— Harley King

American Speaker/Poet

1949 -

Many of us are impatient.  We can't wait.  We are in a hurry.  Yet success has its own timetable.  You can't hurry it.  So develop patience and have faith that when the time is right you will receive your moment in the sun.  Enjoy the moment.  Enjoy the present.  Don't worry about tomorrow.

Here are three of my short poems written in 2011.

What color

are your dreams,

my friend?

Bright blue?

Midnight red?

A thin pink?

I gather my fears in my hands.

###

I've grown old

with doubt,

a finger of time

between clouds

of darkness.

I open my mouth

and swallow the wind.

###

I am

the moon,

a faded light,

a distant dream.

Hold me

in your arms

that I may be free.

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Harley King

If you have been following this blog, you will have noticed that I am a strong advocate of reading books.  In 2011 I read 28 books, one less than 2010.  Here is my list of the top ten books I read in 2011.



10.  Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (novel)

9.   White Oleander by Janet Fitch (novel)

8.   72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell (novel)

7.   The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (novel)

6.   The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell (novel)

5.   Imperial Woman: The Story of the Last Empress of China by Pearl Buck (historical novel)

4.   Pearl Buck in China: Journey to the Good Earth by Hilary Spurling (biography)

3.   The Good Earth by Pearl Buck (novel)

2.   Cheever: A Life by Blake Bailey (biography)

1.   Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever (short stories)



To see the remainder of the books I read in 2011 go to goodreads.com:  http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2103162-harley?shelf=read-2011

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Harley King

"Nothing stays the same and nothing changes.  What is old today will be new tomorrow.  What is new today will be forgotten tomorrow."

— Harley King

American Writer/Speaker

1949 -

We humans love to measure time and to reflect on where we have been and where we want to go.  If we have not published our first book by the time we are thirty, we may never publish a book.  If we live to be sixty, we are suddenly over the hill and unemployable.  Unless, of course, we are running for President.

My time on this planet has taught me that as much as things change they still remain the same.  What once was old comes back in fashion.  And what we believe to be new and exciting will soon fade away.  The story you are writing has been written before.  The painting you are painting has been painted before.  And yet each of us must believe that we are the first.  That no one has done this before.  

Yesterday, I quoted Gladys Taber who in her lifetime published more than 60 books.  Yet, until yesterday I had never heard of her.  We may be celebrated in our lifetime but forgotten after we die.  Or we may be unknown in our lifetime and remembered for hundreds of years.  Time has a way of playing tricks on us.  We think we have mastered it and it sneaks a way from us.  

As you reflect today on what happened to you in 2011 and dream about what will happen in 2012, remember that nothing stays the same and nothing change.  Don't worry about the passing of time.  Be happy with who you are and whom you have become.  Celebrate the new year with open arms.

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Harley King

(Photo by Harley King)

Are you inspired by the changing colors 

to write a poem, paint a picture 

tell a story or take a walk?

May you find hope in 

the changing of the seasons.

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Harley King

"Service to others in their time of need is a privilege and an honor."

— Harley King

American Speaker and Poet

1949 -

As creative leaders, we inspire, encourage and give people hope with our paintings, sculptures, poetry, stories and music.  Our creative works touch the hearts and souls of millions of people with passion and power.  Reading novels have helped people through difficult times in their lives.  Listening to music has brought encouragement to unhappy souls.  It is a privilege to help others in their time of need.  

Have you been inspired by a poem or a novel you have read?  Have you found peace and comfort in a song?  Has a painting opened up new worlds for you to experience?  Just as we as creative leaders have been inspired by other artists and writers so our audiences are inspired by us.  Yes, we often feel we are creating for ourselves, but in the end our legacy is to be found in the people to whom we have given hope to through our creative expression.

Here is a short video of a speech I gave in May at an awards banquet to over 1000 health care professionals about the privilege of service to others in their time of need.

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