From my side I have to get used to the idea that there is such a thing as "gossip of sincere concern" either for the individual's sake or the community's sake, i.e., using the grapevine in a positive and beneficial way, or at least with good intentions
-- along with idle gossip and malicious or mocking gossip, which people (including me) participate in just because of their local culture or global mock-the-celebrity culture or whatever.
Well, I don't have mega psychic powers so I can't prevent gossip or its consequences from happening. (I suppose if I did have such powers the government would have to hunt me down.)
So as people mentioned above, it's a waste of my time, focus, attention and emotional energy to get worked up about it. Gathering myself to focus on my own activities ... Easy-peasy ...
And of course I had better watch my own tongue for the sake of integrity! (Been trying to do this a little more lately as I try to watch out for harmful speech in general. Not perfect at it at all.)
Maybe someday I'll be a rich and famous celebrity so I'll get to enjoy the perks as well as the attention.
Thanks again for your comments and suggestions, including the ones about Facebook (I use it sparingly and cautiously with no local FB connections) and "what people think", which is very relevant as I am very self-conscious, maybe from moving around a lot in my youth and feeling like an outsider much of my life besides.
Your responses really are helping me work through this area.
