There comes a time in everyone's life when they come to terms with not being able to control what people say about them. It could be in childhood, when an erroneous rumor on the playground percolates through the school faster than you can set the record straight.
Or perhaps in the high school years, when whispers behind your back begin to take on a life of their own. For some, this moment arrives in adulthood, when they see a benign comment get warped in ways that they never meant. The words of other people, accurate or not, judicious or unjust, can impact us in ways that feel intensely personal.