First Response: Throw Reason Out the Window

It seems that once a thought enters my head, my first instinct is to believe. 
Bizarre? Great! 
Unrealistic? Welcome here! 
Creak in the house? Murderer
Can't find car in parking lot? Stolen

Once, when returning home from vacation, my neighbor was not around, but his car was. I smelled near his door everyday for the stinch of rotting body. I just knew he was dead on the other side of that door. Eventually, someone picked him up at the airport and he came home. He had friends, who knew? I thought he dramatically died alone in his home.

The other day I heard a "firecracker" and noted the time. I want to be as helpful as I can when they need to find the gunman.

I suppose plausibility of a thought is earned by existing. Since this grants me both poor taste in movies and the ignorance of not realizing it, you should never trust my movie or book recommendations. (Return to Me and Stephanie Meyer) 

There is an unspoken agreement with my friend, Courtney. Texting, phone calls, emails, do not require immediate feedback. There is a grace period, and a preference to quality time instead of a quick chat. All that to say, response times vary.
Even with this very enlightened and mature relationship, I can still throw reason out the window with a quickness.
Yesterday I text her, "How are you?" No response. 
My first thoughts were not, "She is busy, I'll try again later."
  Instead, my go to, "She hates me. She finally figured out how ridiculous I am. She can't stand me."
 It doesn't matter that we talked last week for an hour and a half, or that we have known each other for 11 years, or that we lived together for 7, or that we have a standing summer vacation date for the next 20 years. No, I throw all that out and hold tight to the idea that our friendship has ended. 
Somewhere in the midst of my ridiculousness, I realize what I am doing.  Then I have to walk outside and  pick up the common sense I threw out for the sake of a good story.



RFL,
 You already know this, but I'll say it for the guy with the nice shirts and for my benefit, no guilt intended.