Hello, this is Ditto.

American poet Robert Frost penned a well-known line in his poem Mending Wall:

"Good fences make good neighbors."

It is not about tearing down each other's boundaries to merge our yards into one, but about setting up a gentle, chest-high fence. That fence is not a cold wall meant to sever connection; it is the minimal consideration needed to preserve a safe inner sanctuary where one can breathe freely and fully as oneself.

To protect ourselves, we must sometimes muster the courage to be disliked and learn to say a polite "no." After all, we cannot force ourselves to fill another's cup when our own has run dry. Only those who first love themselves and nurture their own boundaries in a healthy way can truly respect the boundaries of others without carelessly trespassing.

Are you nodding along with a forced smile to someone's request right now? Or, conversely, are you thoughtlessly crossing over someone else's fence under the pretext of love?

[Poem of the Day]

Island / Jeong Hyeon-jong

There is an island between people.
I want to go to that island.

In relationships where being too close hurts and being too distant grows cold, why not build a healthy fence of your own?

Over the soft, warm fence you build, I hope tomorrow brings greetings that are even sweeter.

This was Ditto.