Proverbs 20:19
A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid a man who talks too much.
Boy, did I just get burned on this one.
I am friends with people I have known since I was 14, at high school in Orlando. Their names, to shield them, will be Jack and Mary. Jack and Mary also dated all through high school and got married shortly after graduation, although a few years after Mr. R and I did. Jack and Mary are not getting along right now. They have two children. Jack has had some medical issues and Mary is carrying a heavy load. I understand this completely. That being said, since Jack has more spare time, I tend to hear from him a bit more. We chat about kids, work (we work for same hospital) and old times. It's fun to talk to him. He's smart, funny, and since we're both in the medical field, the same stupid hospital jokes appeal to us.
Earlier this week, he emailed me this long letter about how much he loves his wife, but that she ignores him and brushes him off and that they no longer have sex. Being the kind of person who loves to "help" people, we talked about the situation for a few hours, and I talked about how Mr. R and I got through some troubles of our own in the past.
Peeps, DO NOT DO THIS. I didn't consider it gossip, but Mary went through Jack's facebook email and found our letters back and forth. Now she is furious with both of us. Even though I never said one hurtful word towards her, she is horrified that we were talking about her romantic life, and now that I think about it, I can't say I blame her. I'd be mortified if Mr. R was talking about sex with another woman. What in the world was I thinking?! Even though I wasn't giving explicit directions about what I like, or what he might like, we were still having an intimate conversation and it was totally wrong.
I'm still not sure I consider my actions gossip, but I will certainly remember in the future, that when a man (friend, coworker, relative) comes to me asking for romantic/marriage advice, I will steer him promptly to his church pastor, a counselor, or my own husband. I don't have any reason to be giving marital advice out. To my friend Mary who doesn't read my blog, I am sorry if you felt I broke any confidences. I was trying to be a friend to Jack and I did that in a wrong way.
Sad face... :(
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