I'm only thinking

What's the first thing, and I mean the very first thing, that you have to do before you do anything, anything at all? You have to think about doing it, right?

But does thinking about doing it mean that you will do it? Does it mean in fact you must do it? Does it commit you or anyone else to doing it, or force them to alter their plans, their course of action? Of course not, to all three questions. Thinking about doing something means only that you are considering that option, nothing more.

It does not mean that you are intending to run roughshod over someone else or their plans. It does not mean that you are, have, or will insult or embarrass anyone. Thinking about doing something does not of necessity mean that you intend to put the screws to somebody. Sure, it might. But not of necessity. You may well simply be thinking about doing something. I would even go so far as to say that for most people most of the time that's the extent of it. They are merely considering an option.

This means too, generally anyway, that you are going to explore that option by any reasonable means. You will consider how it may affect other people; you are willing to adjust or abandon the idea if it will cause unwarranted consternation. Indeed you will consider whether you really want to do it at all. I mean, if you're a decent, sensible fellow that's all part of thinking about it, right? There is no harm done, no offense committed, merely by thinking of something. It matters not either where and how the thought was first expressed. Taking the thought process to mean any more than that is, usually, senseless. Childish in fact. It's that simple.