I just got some (personally) mindblowing advice, re: a message that felt overdue:
You don't have to explain yourself.
Say, '"Thanks for your patience; it took longer than I expected to get back to you."
and then move on with it!
🤯
Some years back my wife and I got into the habit of asking each other
‘do you want comfort or solutions’ when the other was having a bad time. That one sentence can save us from an argument 9/10 times.