I still know more then I want to about too many neighbors. It's sad to think that most of these people went into their bishop thinking their problems would be kept confidential. Word spreads fast, especially in small towns and now THIS apostate knows too much.

I would move in a heart beat if I could. Anyone else burdened with small town gossip? I hate it.

After living several years in a small town, I got to know things about people. It wasn't so much gossip, but it was from my own dealings with them over the years.

And yes, it did affect how I saw them. I remembered when they cheated me (or tried to), or how they conducted their business with me (I owned a store in the town), or when something happened in their family (ex., a death or illness), some trouble with the law (as reported in the newspaper), etc.

It got to the point that I knew something about almost everybody who walked by on the street. Instead of making me feel like a part of a close community, that much information actually made me uncomfortable.