I car pool to work 2 or 3 days each week with a girl who lives close to the small town nearest to us (only 20 km away). Both she and I have only recently moved to the area, and often have a giggle at some of the 'peculiarities' of small town living.
Yesterday morning she was telling me that she had been in town at Zumba on Wednesday night, when someone she only half knows said to her "I hear you are car pooling to work now"!
We had a good laugh! The bush telegraph is working well. It seems my mother in-law had mentioned this fact to someone, who had mentioned it to someone else, who then saw my friend at Zumba. All the people along the chain knew who I was, although I haven't met any of them.
Once you understand that anything you say can (and probably will) be passed around as localgossip news, you will understand why I will never say anything negative to anybody about anything. Inevitably if I did, the news would get around the town, and that cannot be a good thing (just imagine if they knew about this blog!).
I guess in a town of around 2000, it is hardly surprising. There really isn't that much going on, and in the absence of hard news, anything else will do... even who I car pool with!
So some advice, should you wish to live in a small community: don't tell anyone, anything, ever - unless you want the whole town to know.
Yesterday morning she was telling me that she had been in town at Zumba on Wednesday night, when someone she only half knows said to her "I hear you are car pooling to work now"!
We had a good laugh! The bush telegraph is working well. It seems my mother in-law had mentioned this fact to someone, who had mentioned it to someone else, who then saw my friend at Zumba. All the people along the chain knew who I was, although I haven't met any of them.
Once you understand that anything you say can (and probably will) be passed around as local
I guess in a town of around 2000, it is hardly surprising. There really isn't that much going on, and in the absence of hard news, anything else will do... even who I car pool with!
So some advice, should you wish to live in a small community: don't tell anyone, anything, ever - unless you want the whole town to know.
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| Not much in the way of 'news' here! |
That grapevine is great isn't it. Even works ovver long distances out here. Everyone knows who you are even if you don't know them. There is however a comfort in knowing that everyone is looking out for you and lets face it if you ever forget something someone else will know, what/where/how/when. I grew up in a small town of about 800 including outlying farms. It was a safe place to be and there was no point getting up to mischief cause everyone would know about it.
ReplyDeleteI so agree. The only way to keep a secret is not to tell anyone.....
ReplyDeleteDefinitely rise above any local gossip - I just get on with it and think that if they are talking about me the someone else is getting a rest!
That is so very true! I learnt that the hard way :) I soon never said anything unless I wanted it repeated back to me!
ReplyDeleteOh dear I just don't seem to be able to learn that lesson!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteStill, I wouldn't live anywhere else and when I did suggest moving to another town to one young lady within three days I had half the town telling me I would hate it and in any case all my friends were here!!!!!! So perhaps it doesn't matter if you speak your mind sometimes!