A friend of mine and I were exchanging e-mails for a while. Suddenly his replies got shorter. I'd try to start up more conversation, and he might respond hours later. With one word answers, and apologies. One night his head hurt. Another night he was tired. Or he was out with friends. Never initiating any conversation my way.
I was tempted just to let this be a friendship that would drop, to walk away from this one-sided affair. Then I thought "What if there's something going on in his personal life that's distracting him? I'd hate to give up on a relationship because of a simple misunderstanding."
So I sent another note his way. "Do you have any ideas to keep things fresh? My e-mails seem to be falling flat - one word answers, long delays, and such."
He wrote back and explained that he'd been stressed out because of his sister's wedding this weekend. After it was over, he'd write back and we'd get back in the flow. And we did.
Rushing to judgment can be like rushing over a cliff. Sometimes, it pays really well to look around first.
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