I'M tellin' the story!
I learned a long time ago to keep certain things a secret. I remember I was taking a friend of mine from school to the church I then attended. It was the second person I had brought (not that I was keeping track; it just comes into play later). I remember I was so ever so pleased; everyone at church liked me, which means I was about 99% more popular there than I was at school (1% margin of error). So my friend was seeing a completely different view of me. Not that I had changed, but that it was possible that people liked me. So I guess I felt charged, powerful - proud, even. I was introducing this friend of mine to all the churchie people, and I thought of a way for them to identify her (my friend) other than "Hey, this is my friend." So I said, "Yeah, this is my friend, AND she's in love with that other guy I brought a few weeks ago." This was a true statement at the time. All the churchie people said "Ohhh! Hi!" But my school friend just looked at me with shock and something like disgust. I was kinda confused, but later (probably right after she dragged me out of the room) she explained it (in a calm and rational manner, I'm SURE...): you just don't go and blurt things out like that. You just DON'T. Calmly and rationally, she told me that it was very RUDE to say something like that, because that's not so much something you go blurting to people. It's too personal. I'm sure that I humbly accepted this and apologized with all my might...and if I didn't, I do now. To that person: sorry. Maybe someday you'll come across this. Maybe not. Who knows.
But that taught me the valuable lesson of keeping quiet. No matter how juicy some piece of information is, no matter how much it's weighing on your tongue, waiting for you to spill it, to let someone else in on what you know. For the sake of other peoples' feelings, their well-being, hold your tongue. And if that doesn't work, bite your tongue. And if that doesn't work, cut out your tongue and teach a parrot to talk for you. "Brawk! Wind in your sails! Wind in your sails!"
"...listen here's the pleasant part
You and I, we fell apart
Why don't you make up your mind?
Shut your mouth...
Now listen here's the clever one
Who speaks before his thoughts are done
Why can't you make up your mind?
Watch your mouth
Hold your tongue
Some things are better left unsaid
Now I hope you're pleased
You let your pride stand tall
It danced within your words
Right before your fall
Why don't you say that to my face
If I told you this was killing me
would you stop?"
- The Juliana Theory
But that taught me the valuable lesson of keeping quiet. No matter how juicy some piece of information is, no matter how much it's weighing on your tongue, waiting for you to spill it, to let someone else in on what you know. For the sake of other peoples' feelings, their well-being, hold your tongue. And if that doesn't work, bite your tongue. And if that doesn't work, cut out your tongue and teach a parrot to talk for you. "Brawk! Wind in your sails! Wind in your sails!"
"...listen here's the pleasant part
You and I, we fell apart
Why don't you make up your mind?
Shut your mouth...
Now listen here's the clever one
Who speaks before his thoughts are done
Why can't you make up your mind?
Watch your mouth
Hold your tongue
Some things are better left unsaid
Now I hope you're pleased
You let your pride stand tall
It danced within your words
Right before your fall
Why don't you say that to my face
If I told you this was killing me
would you stop?"
- The Juliana Theory