To Do vs To Done

A to-do list,
can misguide us
to focus on getting things
done.

May we remind ourselves
that it is a to-do list,
not a to-done list.

The list may say
spend 1-hour writing,
as opposed to saying
write 1 page.

Some things
don’t get done
by forcing it.

They get done
as a byproduct
of diligence
and persistence.

Cost of Hyper-Empathizing

When something
or someone
with which we hyper-empathize
is threatened,
we can obsess over rescuing
or protecting
that something
or someone
with which
we hyper-empathize.

This can drive us
to lose sight
of everything around us
and focus solely
on the survival
of only those
with which we hyper-empathize,
even if
it is at the expense of others
with whom
we do not
hyper-empathize,
even if the other
is our so-called
“self.”

Empathic Humor

“I want to kill him,”
she said,
her heads down,
referring to her co-founder.

“Tell me how you’d do it.”
I asked,

“What?”
she looked up
puzzled.

“I want to hear your plan.”
I responded.

“Ha ha ha!”
she laughed out loud.

I smiled,
noticing her shoulders relax
and tension release.