But recently she was stung when a friend revealed something Girlawhirl had told her in confidence to a group of casual acquaintances. It was something she never intended to share, and while the information was probably forgotten just a few minutes later by those who heard, it certainly gave her pause, leaving her to consider: In the matter of friendships, how do you differentiate between confidential and casual information?

Liz Pryor, author of What Did I Do Wrong?: When Women Don't Tell Each Other the Friendship Is Over, helped Girlawhirl put it all into perspective. “When it comes to friends and women, the cardinal rule after having heard anything in confidence should be, ‘when in doubt, don't.' Don't ever repeat. Here's the thing: all of us would agree one of the single greatest gifts in a friend is trust. Not breaking confidences should be easy for us, because we so value that same trust, when we've shared something, but believe it or not, this kind of thinking often requires conscious thought! Stop, think for a second, and shut the mouth! Especially when we're talking about someone else.”

Liz went on to tell Girlawhirl that no matter how well-trusted her friend is, “When sharing a confidence, the cardinal rule to remember should be, always preface with, ‘please do not repeat this.'This way you have triggered the old, ‘I can't tell anyone this' mechanism in your friend's ‘girlfriend' brain. A reminder is key when dealing with the multi-tasking, jam packed, over scheduled life of the average female friend.”

That certainly gave Girlawhirl something to think about because her initial reaction had been one of horror – a true, ‘how in the world could she have said that?' moment. But her anger shifted a bit when she realized that because she hadn't told her friend to keep the information in confidence, she had contributed to the gaffe. So what should she do now?

Liz weighs in: “You TELL her how horrifically offended and hurt you are that she would do this, and as she profoundly apologizes to you, each of you are reminded of the depth and gravity that the little tiny word, ‘trust' holds within a friendship. Your friend will inevitably say she had no intention of hurting you, or sharing the confidence,and both of you perhaps will be again reminded, that if you value each other you will find a way to stop and think before you speak.”

What Liz said next really made Girlawhirl think, “We are human, we make mistakes, we forget, we don't think, and we benefit by giving the gift of forgiveness... once or maybe even twice. After that, some different rules and behavior need come to the table.”

Bolstered by Liz Pryor's advice, Girlawhirl picked up the phone to call her Super Pal.

Liz Pryor's book What Did I Do Wrong?: When Women Don't Tell Each Other the Friendship Is Over is available on barnesandnoble.com. For more information on Liz and her upcoming books, visit her website: lizpryor.com.

Girlawhirl Giveaway! A copy of What Did I Do Wrong? When Women Don't Tell Each Other the Friendship Is Over by Liz Pryor is part of this week's Girlawhirl Giveaway! You're already registered if you've signed up once and have a girlawhirl login. Not registered? sign up