Tell me the truth

Inspired by a post from a wonderful blogger BabyMac (that is now weeks old because I've sat on this draft that long) it occurred to me that the one thing I'll ask of the people I love and trust is that they tell me the truth.

"Talk to me, tell me what's going on in that head of yours" is a common refrain of mine - particularly to the farmer who doesn't exactly appreciate it. But he gets there in the end and more importantly if asked I know he tells me the truth. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be married to him if he didn't.

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm an avid teller of the truth, at least when it comes to talking about myself (I do work in PR so I know what you're all thinking). My nature is I'm an over-sharer and if you ask me how I'm going I'll give the whole answer, even if it ain't pretty. It's something I try to temper, at least with new people I meet and certainly in a professional context, but saying too much is my default position. Many's the time I come home from a coffee with girlfriends and have to fess up to the farmer that I may have mentioned such and such. To which he always replies, "Why? They didn't need to know that." And he's right most people don't need to know some of the intricate details of our lives or the things we're trying to figure out for ourselves but it's hard for me not to give a bit of myself away.

The more time I spend in a (very) small community, the more I realise I need to tread a little carefully because the rumour mill can run out of control in about half a second if you fuel it. And I'm definitely learning to stay quiet about news and information that's not my own to share. Or rather, I should say I'm improving. Slowly.

Somehow this post has morphed from one about being honest and expecting openness from those around me to a confession of my gossip tendencies. Maybe that's what it's all about really.

Anyway, for a much more interesting take on truth check out Beth's post on the topic and more importantly the huge deluge of comments she received, it's pretty darn interesting to say the least.

especially when it comes to myself. If anything I'm an oversharer and often think back on conversations with a cringe that I gave too much of myself away to someone who perhaps I shouldn't have trusted not to share my inner thoughts.