A Blank Piece of Paper

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

Smooth and inviting,
full of potential,
here sits a pristine piece of paper,
generously blank,
an open field,
an open window,
an empty space patiently waiting
for me.
So where do I start?
Where is my heart?
I see so many possibilities.
Write? Paint? Draw?
A splash? A dash?
Elegant? Edgy?
And if I dare to make my mark,
if I dare to share myself
with this page, this paper,
this wide open future,
the possibilities narrow.
Each mark means making a choice.
A mark is a visible voice,
a stake,
a statement:
this way, not that.
It says, “You have found me;
Now work around me.”
Blank.
This paper is still blank.
I hesitate, lost in “what if?”
What will it become?
How will it turn out?
A wise woman once told me,
“If you know how it’s going to turn out,
why bother?”
There is adventure in the blank page.
Its invitation is to discover,
to make possible the possibilities,
to make known what’s unknown,
to create out of curiosity,
to encounter what never existed
before that first mark,
that first spark,
that daring decision to dance
with the blank page.
Smooth and inviting,
full of potential,
here sits a pristine piece of paper,
generously blank.
But not for long.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

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Text and photos © Karyn Henley 2026. All rights reserved.

Life’s Secret Answer

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

When I was younger,

I thought I had to find

all the answers.

I thought there were

answers to find.

Now that I’m older,

I’m holding the questions

and turning them over,

watching them sparkle and twinkle

and laugh,

for holding the questions

is life’s secret answer.

Every day, all is new

and uncertain

and certainly mystery.

What matters is not

the answers

but the questions,

how I hold them

and lightly unfold them,

how I ask them

and listen for a hum,

a nod

a yes, this is a good question,

a mystery,

an unmapped path,

a happy chance,

a happy choice

to carry the questions,

to ponder and muse

with “perhaps” and “maybe”

and “we’ll get there.”

Get where?

And when?

Who knows?

Do I care?

Not really. It’s more

exciting and joyful

to live in the unknown,

muse on the mystery,

cradle the questions,

and laugh out loud

at the memory

of thinking I had to

know.

No.

There’s no knowing

and no joy in stopping the search,

of being so certain.

The quest and the question—

now there’s the dance,

the chance,

the romance.

There’s the flying,

the flow,

the soft, easy drift of

not having to know.

It’s the smile of the soul,

the serene and the settled,

the secret of being satisfied with

open windows and doors,

wind blowing thoughts around,

presenting possibilities

holding hopes lightly

and wishes wisely

and reveling in

wonder.

– kh –

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

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Peering Ahead on Tiptoes

Posted by karynhenleyauthor

“And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”

– Rainer Maria Rilke –

Rilke’s simple welcome of the new year paints, for me, the image of a child standing on tiptoes at a window, peering out expectantly, looking for possibilities, good surprises, and delightful discoveries. May all this and more be yours in this new year. And may we all continue to nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm deep within us.

Happy New Year!

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