So When Does it Become Gossip?

Recent events have led me into some musings. 

Well, I muse a lot.  Sometimes those musings solidify into blog posts.  This is going to be one of them.

On Monday I received some terrible news, via one of my former students who is my friend on Facebook.  The news was about the tragic death of one of her classmates, another former student.  She asked me to let my mother know, because my mother was also her teacher.  Of course there are still some of my colleagues who knew this young lady, so I asked one of the girls if she thought I should let some of them know (privately, of course). 

Not long after she messaged me, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and two other former students and her classmates also posted the news, albeit without naming names.  Then I received two private messages about the tragic loss from two other girls in her class.  My mother posted in her status about the loss, again without naming names.  Some others messaged me privately asking for names, and since it was a private message I responded.  I also sent an email to the colleagues of mine who knew this young girl.

There were some circumstances surrounding her death, revealed to me by her close friends, that I shared with my mother and my colleagues.  I did share these details with some of those who privately messaged me, but not to others.

On Tuesday, the name of the former student went public on Facebook among the various circles of friends.  I have not yet seen any public postings about the circumstances, and I personally do not intend to share that detail in public.

Which leads me to my musings.  The beauty of social media such as Facebook is that it allows people to connect with each other quickly and efficiently.  We can offer support, criticism, and news to a wide circle of individuals. 

Hence my question in the title...when does this sharing turn the corner and become gossip?  Is gossip in the intent of the reporter?  Does news become gossip if the recipient takes it as such?  Has social media made it easier to gossip or is it just another avenue for a vice we all share?

That's what's worrying me, in this situation in particular.  And I don't know the answers to any of my questions.  It is certainly NOT my intent to share this news as gossip, but I worry that I am feeding the desire for gossip in some of the recipients.

As often happens, ANOTHER former student posted a link to an article about social media that had some relevance to my musings.   Again, I'm still not sure of where I stand on whether or not I'm gossiping, but this article was quite interesting.

5 Questions to Ask Before Posting to Social Media

Sunday Night is Clean Sheet Night

Ah, Sundays.  One of the best and worst days of my weekend.  Why is it the worst, you may ask?  Because it's the last day of the weekend.  But the reasons it's the best day of the weekend far outweigh the reason it's the worst.

Sundays mean several things for me.  I start the day off with worship and Bible study.  Or Bible study then worship.  Or just worship.  It all depends on if the choir sings.  If I have to sing for choir, I go to the 8:00 service and then stay for Bible study, then sing at the beginning of the 10:45 service.  Sometimes I sleep in and skip Bible study. 

After church I like to have something special to eat.  Usually I make myself breakfast food of some kind, or my mom and I will go out to eat. 

Then....naptime.  If I can swing it, I'll take a nice little nap.  Sunday afternoons are perfect for naps, especially gloomy and cold winter afternoons. 

But the best part of Sunday is clean sheet night.  One of my former students, who is a Facebook friend gave me the inspiration for clean sheet night.  She would post "Clean Sheet Night!" or a variation thereof, every Sunday night.  I asked her about it, and her idea made sense.  She likes to start the week out with fresh, clean sheets.  Her week goes well when she has clean sheet night.  She has also mentioned that when she's had a bad day, she'll do clean sheet night that night for a fresh start.

This sounded like a good plan, so I initiated this habit for myself.  On the occasions that I talked myself out of clean sheet night, I've regretted it.  So for the last several months, no matter how late it is, no matter how tired I feel, I refuse to skip clean sheet night.  Maybe it's psychological, but my week does seem to go better when I make sure to have clean sheet night.

Sometimes I cut it pretty close with clean sheet night.  I have several sets of sheets and usually at least 2 sets are clean and ready to go.  There have been times when I have pulled out the sheets from the dryer at 10:00 at night and put them directly on the bed.  But those clean sheet nights are the best, because what could feel better but to crawl into bed with sheets freshly warm from the dryer?

Once I started my own clean sheet nights, I have tried to remember to post about it on my Facebook page.  And you know what?  Many of my friends have adopted Sunday night as Clean Sheet Night...so the joy is spreading!

So, my friends, try it yourself.  I promise you that Clean Sheet Night will not disappoint.