Gossip

When someone tells you, “I hope you won’t mind me telling you this,” be pretty sure you will mind. The best way to end a gossip is to ask the talebearer if you may quote him or her. If the person says no, then you know the person is a gossip. If the person answers yes, then you should contact the recipient to verify the story you heard.
One of my friends was recently accused of gossip, and I was like Whaoooo! What’s that? I will tell you why I asked that; I don't involve myself in other people's affair unless the person concerned invites me and then I don’t broadcast to all and sundry what the person disclosed to me in secrets. I don't want to know what is happening in your home, how you relate with your husband or with the common friends we have, because when it start, it may be difficult to remove oneself from it. This my friend like to talk, she also has ways of fishing out information from people, she will pretend to be concerned and before you know it, you’re telling her your whole life’s story which in a matter of minutes after she might have left you, would be common news. Most time when she tell you something, she will tell you that you’re the only person she has told and that you should not let any other person know. But in the next minute she will tell another person the same story but with more details and on and on she goes until the story spread back to the recipient. Often times, she will not remember she has told you something about someone and will even deny saying such things when later confronted.I started wondering what her problem is, is it that she always have temporary memory loss after a gossip or she conveniently decides to forget. Not that she will stop; she will just deny her involvement when confronted.
Some say there is healthy gossip, but there is nothing of such; just be careful what you say about people, because someone may pick up your remarks, and you may be surprised at what some people may think they hear.