This is beautiful - thank you so much! I'm curious about how you handled yourself after this gossip erupted? Did you just sit and wait for it to pass and move on to the meditation? Did you leave? Did you try to get them "back on task"? (If you'd care to share - no pressure, of course!)

It's good that you were able to stay out of this. A great story and reminder about mindfulness. Thank you for sharing!