All Facts Are Friendly

I recently heard the phrase “All Facts Are Friendly” at a business networking event I attended and it stuck out enough for me to scrawl it in my purple spiral notebook as if I were back in my 9th grade World History class with Mr. Jacobs, who spewed genius “Jacob-isms” daily.

From a business standpoint my hubby explained it as “any time you get information, it’s a good thing.”

But I have been thinking about it more and more from a life standpoint. 

More specifically…a life as a woman standpoint…a very dramatic woman, nonetheless.  

Sometimes I tend to exaggerate (who me?!). 

I don’t always live in the facts, per say. 

 Hubby: What was in that Steve Madden box that came today? 

Me: Shoes.

Hubby: Do you mean BOOTS? (as in the 3rd pair of boots to be delivered in the past week)

Me (indecipherable mumbling): I don’t know. Shoes. Going to clean kitchen, you start bath…

What I’ve been thinking about more and more is how the phrase applies to the casual gossip session we all seem to partake in from time to time.

I am sure most of us can say that we have learned the hard way that gossip sessions get uglier and uglier the more and more we stray from the facts and start passing on and believing speculation.

I must admit, sometimes it’s fun to hear the latest scoop, though people often focus on the negative more than the positive when it comes to talking about the lives of those in their social circle.

At the same time, it naturally makes us feel better about our own troubles when we hear that things aren’t going exactly right for someone else…especially when that someone seems to “have-it-all-together or “live-a-perfect-life.”

…It’s kind of like watching Jerry Springer. 

(Just kidding…sort of).

Though I am certainly not preaching from any kind of pedestal here, I have noticed that the older I get and the more I read the works of authors such as Brené Brown and Marianne Williamson, the more I just feel icky after one of those gossip sessions. 

Kind of how I feel after watching Jersey Shore, drinking Firefly at all day parties, or buying too many shoes…like I have a hangover before it’s even started. 

But this time it’s a gossip hangover…and just like the days of Firefly or little-white shopping lies, the quick high is normally not worth the crappy after-taste.

So, the next time a gossip session is underway, I would like to make an effort to follow the “all facts are friendly” phrase. I am going to try very hard to stick to the facts, even if it’s something as simple as saying,”That girl in Starbucks had a very distinct accent” rather than, “Oh my gosh, I am so glad that girl with the really annoying voice finally left!”

The facts are much friendlier than the opinions, aren’t they?