Gossip

The beauty of gossip is this:  it will either make you or break you.  Gossip, is definitely here for a reason.  Oh, the pain it causes as it rips through your soul and attacks your character.  Now, depending on where the "I know who I am" spot lies, this assault will either reassure you that you ARE who you are, or it will cause confusion. 
And I still have yet to understand WHY people want to gossip.  What good does it do?  None.  What harm does it bring?  Much.  Plus, it makes the mouth-flapper look bad in the end and wasn't the whole point of those slanderous words to make themselves look better?  Ah, yes, that sneaky little thing called KAARRRMMAaa.  Please, don't let yourself be invited over to her tea party.  You might end up with a little taste of your own medicine and MAN, sugar does NOT help it go down.  Not saying I've never gossiped...I tried it when I was younger once and didn't like it.
Since I waved goodbye to my fuzzy-haired teenage years, and said hello to my hi-I'm-the-young-looking-mom-of-two-children years...and unfortunately been the recipient of some major gossip, I've sworn it out of my life forever.  What use is it to me??  So far, all it has done is hurt, frustrated, and wound.

Now, for the beauty of gossip.  Beside all of the horrible things it has done, I've noticed something spectacular.  Through the rips in my flesh and the wounds in my character, I've seen the twinkle of life peeping out at me.   I'm still here.  I didn't curl up and die.  Thank goodness it only made me stronger.  What the gossip tried to use for evil against me only proved that I was, indeed, the opposite.  No gossiping back.  No flappy-lip syndrome.  Not going to use evil to fight evil.  Just patience...patience and the consistancy of being who I really am.

Me.

And if they don't like it...well, sorry folks, but no amount of flappy-lip will make me crumble to the level of gossipy nastiness, too.  Nope.  Nuh-uh.  So flap on, flippy-floppy-lip-lappers.