“Don’t leave me hanging on the telephone,” Blondie once sang, and I didn’t realise until recently that the lyric was actually about me.

Sometimes, I just physically cannot reply to a text message. And as days pass, the weight of not responding grows heavier.Credit: Getty Images

There are text messages on my phone that I have not responded to for months. I have not lost the ability to use my hands due to petulance a la Doctor Strange. And no, I haven’t forgotten about these messages. So why can’t I reply?

There is one message in particular that is hard to explain. My cousin kindly asked me, “What is the name of your puppy?” I have sat on this message for two weeks. Not because I don’t know the name of my dog, but because I responded internally … and forgot to reply externally. You know, like how conversations normally work?

I don’t hate my cousin, I quite like her. Sometimes, I just physically cannot reply. And as each day passes, the weight of not responding grows heavier and heavier, like I am holding all these unread........

© The Sydney Morning Herald