I am not a thief!!... not anymore.

The other day, I heard the horribleist (new word o'the day) thing about someone.  It was awful!!  But as I was listening to it, I couldn't stop... I knew I shouldn't be allowing the other person to tell me the things she was saying, but as I said, I just couldn't NOT listen.   Mind you, as a counselor, I hear a LOT of things about a lot of people.  But, this wasn't in a counseling session.  This was in the grocery store standing there in the produce section.  As I left the store and reflected back on what she said, I was had such a feeling of dis-ease.  However, I was even more disturbed by my reaction to it.  I knew in my heart of hearts that what was told to me wasn't true.  Still, it made for great 'rumor'.  And, that's exactly what it was.  Rumor.  I was convicted at that point that I could either pass on what was said to me or let it die there.  Telling it to someone else, even veiled by, "You're not going to believe this and if you tell anyone I said it, I'll deny it", was titillating.  But, a rumor has a lifespan.  If you feed it, it continues to live.  Don't feed it (don't repeat it) and it dies.  I chose to let it die.  What good comes from hurting another person? To merely repeat something because it was said to me doesn't make it right.  It's stealing... or at least it's attempted theft.  And that's what gossip is...it's attempted theft.  It's the attempt to take away, or do damage to, someone else's reputation.  So, starting today, that's it!  I'm NOT going to be a thief.  I'm not going to gossip.  Care to join me?