Not long ago, I sent someone a message and did not receive a response. At first, I did not think much about it. They were probably busy. But as more time passed, my mind began filling in the silence. Maybe they were upset with me. Maybe I had said something wrong. Maybe they were avoiding the conversation. Before long, I had created an entire story without having all the facts. When the person finally responded, the explanation was simple. They had been overwhelmed, distracted, and dealing with something that had nothing to do with me. Nothing was wrong between us. But for a little while, my assumptions made it feel…