Well intentioned worry and the health police.

before getting into other posts about what else is going on out there and why I haven't written lately, I wanted to post a brief opinion.
When I was in PC a few weeks ago, I had a moment of grace when I decided to keep my mouth shut and let things "go" as they say. The moment was this- at a dinner, "Mary" told some family friends about one of my close relative's decision to stop a personal habit/addiction. "Mary" is good hearted and well meaning, but has tended to hurt my feelings that past years but revealing tidbits of my own personal life to their friends, thus forcing me and my family unit to be alot more cautious about what we tell family (and there's ALOT they have missed out on :). I have since learned we are better served by this, as I had the positive feedback to know that my own family issues are "ours" to fix, and not for story time. As someone over 18, this "revelation" is way past due. Sometimes, other people's anxieties tend to become our own, and I have learned the past 10 years that I have to find my own solutions instead of burdening others, and thusly let others find their own solutions. Is thusly a word? Anyway, obviously "Mary" was told this information by a close person, who may or may not care at all that this personal information was shared over a dinner. That's their business.
And that was my lesson. Instead of pointing out that perhaps the story was not for sharing, and was one adult's personal story, I just let the other person share away...after all, it wasn't my problem. It is someone else's. And I'm talking about the problem of sharing news that isn't yours to share...another small but potentially destructive problem all it's own.

Another thing. I have had many friends spend alot of time "living" in Europe and find it fascinating how they comment on how Americans worry so much about each other's eating, drinking, smoking habits. Since when did we become such a smug, condescending country of "health policemen"? Worry about your own issues and spend less time pretending to be more "green" than the next person. Yes we know our country is fat and lazier than others, but the education and information is out there. The real intrigue is why some people just want to ignore it. I'll ask my psychology buddies about that one later.
Uggh. Snobbery, albiet, snobbery without reason, has always been a part of our very young country. Always must prove something and make ourselves feel better by projecting our insecurites onto the next.

Jeez- I need a tall glass of wheatgrass.