My inbox this morning had an e-mail reply that started, “Do you ever try to get your life in order - peaceful, centered, and focused - before you write back to someone so you can really consider their question?”

Yes. But I have so far to go to get there.

What is best?—(a) a shallow, quick response that might seem terse; (b) waiting until I can write the thoughtful response that I want to give; (c) a delayed response that is neither timely nor thorough; or (d) getting my time and commitments in a manageable array.

The best would be (d), but I expect I will continue to bounce around the (a), (b), and (c) range.