Laura Harley

Took a little break from blogging the last few days….lots to think about and work on…yep, I’ve been busy percolatin’. You know, letting it all sort of brew and steep and come together. Still working on that song I mentioned. It’s funny how my songwriting process often reflects the rest of my current emotional state. Sometimes it takes a while to write something, because the wisest part of me knows I need some time to think and be. So, in a way, my creative process sort of takes care of me….does that make sense at all? Anyway, it’s interesting. Now I’m trying to write the chorus lyrics—-lyric writing is a challenge because sometimes you have to take a complex concept, find a way to say it in a way that is simple and captures the heart, and then make it fit inside a very small amount of time and in a rhythm that fits the song. So, sometimes it takes a while.

I have some live shows percolating as well. I’ll be playing a special acoustic show at The Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on September 12th. Mark your calendars, peeps! I’d love to see you there. Then at the end of September, I’ll be doing some shows and open mics in the LA area. I’m super excited for that.

More updates soon….in the meantime, I’m just letting it all percolate.

When I was little, one of my favorite books that my parents read to me was called “The Little Engine That Could”. Did you ever read it? It’s all about a little engine that has to pull a big train up a big hill all by itself. It tries really hard and has a tough time of it, but through perseverance and saying to itself “I think I can, I think I can” it makes it up the hill.

Lately I feel a lot like that little engine. I find myself wanting to go home and have my parents tuck me in and read it to me! Lately the challenges just seem to keep coming and I’m feeling a little weary. But, I know that, like all things, it will pass. And I know I can get through it. The power of the human spirit to get through difficult things is amazing! And I know that all challenges come to us for our own growth, so in the end, I’m thankful for all of these things.

And the song I’m writing is coming along—-slow but sure. I think I can, I think I can…

OK, this little engine is going to try to have a good night’s sleep now. Good night :).

A couple of weeks ago I dreamed a song. Now I’m working with the recording I made in my groggy state to actually write the song in waking life. It is an interesting creative experience to do this. I was worried that the recording wouldn’t make sense to me anymore when I listened to it after all this time, but instead it came back to me immediately, like the song is part of my DNA and all I needed was a tiny reminder to bring it all back. All I had from the dream was a vocal melody, so now I’ve put guitar chords with the vocal melody that support it. And I added a chorus and bridge. I could have made all of what I dreamed into a whole song, but instead I decided to make the dreamed part a really strong verse and add a powerful chorus and bridge to take it all over the top. I’m really excited about how the music is turning out.

Now I’m in the midst of discovering what the song needs to be about—-I’m trying to let the music speak to me and let my thoughts and emotions come out so I can write lyrics that are the best fit for the song and that are alive. So far it’s coming harder than usual, but I feel like it’s all part of a necessary birthing process for this song. I’ve written a couple drafts but it’s not there yet….hopefully tomorrow. I am continually in awe of the creative process and how very different it can be every time I write a song. I’m in the midst of it now, thinking about the song all the time, in a sort of waking dream state where no matter what I do, it’s in my mind continuing to write itself. Tonight I will need to sleep with paper and pen by my bed—I’ve learned that when I’m in this state, the lyrics often work themselves out when I’m drifting off to sleep or when I’m between dreaming and waking in the morning. I don’t want to miss it, so I’ll keep my journal with me…

The other day I had an interesting experience at the grocery store. I happened to choose a check-out lane where I was standing in line between two elderly women. One of them had the beginnings of Alzheimer’s Disease and started to bag my groceries (thinking they were hers). Her daughter and I tried to gently explain that her groceries would be coming next. It was so sad. Can you imagine how difficult it would be to feel so confused and lost? It is so painful and scary to think about it. And I imagine it scares everyone who has the misfortune of getting it. And then, you are just gone…

Then the other older lady was bagging her groceries at the same time as me and we struck up a conversation. She told me that she likes shopping at that grocery store because the clerks are much friendlier there than other stores. She said life is too short to deal with unhappiness where you don’t have to. She told me she lost 2 grandchildren and that her husband (waiting for her in the car) was paralyzed. She said, “I’ve got plenty of sadness in my life, I don’t need anymore.” Then she flashed me the most radiant smile and said “Keep smiling!”

This experience really got to me. It’s got to be very difficult to have so much loss and so many challenges as you grow older. But at the same time, this lady was like a powerful ray of sunshine and she just radiated wisdom. She really inspired me and got me thinking about my life. About the choices I make now and how I’ll have to live with them for the rest of my life. So I want to choose consciously and carefully.

I wrote a song recently about daring to love completely. I wrote it after someone gave me a piece of chocolate that had the phrase printed in the wrapper (it was extra dark chocolate in case you’re curious).

Anyway, it resonated with me because I’ve been thinking a lot about the courage it takes to dive into something completely—a relationship, a dream, a way of living. And how important it is to take the plunge. Those 2 lovely older ladies at the grocery store really underscored the importance of living your life fully and counting your blessings.

First, thanks so much to everyone for your kind feedback lately—both on the free download and the blog in general. Some of you have left such lovely comments and some of you have sent such nice emails and it means A LOT to me! I am really excited that the number of people reading this keeps growing so much and I appreciate each of you visiting. It’s important to me to stay in touch with all of you. Thanks for being here!

So, about that note to myself….confession time…I have strong workoholic tendecies. Yep, I admit it. Sometimes I run around so much and do so much that I start getting physically ache-y and shaky from fatigue. Definitely not a good pattern. I know that it’s not good to push one’s self so hard—it’s bad for you physically and emotionally. But the other bad thing is that it doesn’t leave much energy to write music. And that, my friends, is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE TO ME. So, I am getting tough with myself and forcing myself to build in a bit more rest (something I do very well for my life coaching clients, but not so much for myself at times). Tonight, I actually forced myself to not return calls or do work and instead I…..drumroll please….stayed home and watched a movie!! I also did something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time….I organized my jewelry and accessories drawer! I know it sounds weird, but organizing is super fun and relaxing for me. And I love pretty little things so it was fun to see my earrings, bracelets, and scarfs all lined up and ready. Ooooohh—–fun girly moment!! Here is a photo of my work for you:

So, in summary, tonight was blissful because I took 3 whole hours to take care of myself. I’m still feeling pretty tired, but it’s a step in the right direction. I even rented a second movie thinking that it would force me to take more time to relax before the week is over (I have a thing about getting the most value out of things, so I don’t like returning movies unwatched).

Hey, if you have any tips for me about what helps you take care of yourself and relax, I’d love to hear them! I hope you are all having a nice and restful weekend :).

The collapse of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis on Wednesday has had many in this community reeling from the shock of it and the sadness we feel for the victims of this tragedy. It is strange indeed to realize that the horrible pictures you see on TV are of a place you drive almost every day and that this has happened where you live. Of course, many people all over the world have to live with war, poverty, violence, and other disasters on a regular basis. And this sort of thing reminds you of that and of how each day we have is precious.

Despite the sadness, there are many beautiful things I’ve seen in the past 2 days. When a disaster like this happens, the inherent nobility and kindness in people just seems to blossom. There are so many stories of people helping one another. And I could tell today when I was driving around and just being in the city that there is a spirit of kindness and appreciation in the air.

I felt like I wanted to do something to help, and so I decided to have a gathering at my home this weekend to share prayers of all Faiths and warm thoughts for the souls of the victims, their families, all of those injured, and the many people still helping to deal with this tragedy. I feel that prayers really do have an affect on the world and that calling out to our Creator for assistance is in itself healing and transformative. And it was lovely today going around my neighborhood to invite my neighbors. Everyone I talked to was feeling sad for those suffering and wanted to do something to help. It was also such a special opportunity to connect with new neighbors and check in with others. It reminds me that there are so many wonderful people in this world. There is so much goodness. And the more we can come together and build up unity and compassion in our neighborhoods and families, the more we counteract the things in the world that seem to be falling apart—literally and figuratively. We can actually build up a new way of living and a new world. Here are a couple of passages from the writings of the Baha’i Faith that have given me a lot of comfort in the last 2 days:

“Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.”
–Baha’u'llah

“…O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose…Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord.”
–Baha’u'llah