Too far?

I have the urge to use this blog like a journal today - personal, private and meant only for my eyes, maybe for Rick's. Of course that's not a good idea, but I'm less put off by the fact that it would be opening myself up than I am by the fact that I'd probably offend someone and bring down some consequences I don't want to deal with.

I don't mind telling people about myself. It's funny. Jane has called me mysterious, which implies that I don't give away much information... and yet I will gladly sit down with someone I hardly know and play Truth until they've found out my "deepest" or "darkest" secrets. There are few things I am unwilling to tell a friend; there are few secrets I keep to myself. I've found that openness and honesty tend to drive away false friends and draw true ones closer. I'm sure I go too far sometimes, though.

So I question: How far is too far? How open, honest, or blunt can I be before I demolish everyone's ideas of tact and privacy? I know how to use tact and when to be quiet, I won't open myself needlessly most of the time. But when I do, nobody tells me when to shut up. I know that my friends don't want to hear all the inane details of my weekends with Rick, however wonderful they might be to me. I know that some of my imaginings are better left unsaid and that some comments might have too strong a bite. But I still love walking the line and sometimes I jump (or fall) over it.

I respect others' need for privacy, and I understand the necesity of keeping some parts of yourself hidden - I do not think anyone knows everything about me, as open as I may be. And incredibly enough, I'm a shy person in most situations. But some part of me just wants to open up and yell things at the world.

Is it a terrible thing to delight in raw, unfiltered truth (or opinion) as far as one can do so? Tact is fun on occasion, and useful in social situations, I know this. But bare truth can be much more powerful. And as long as I speak plainly, I know everyone understands. If only politicians would be so direct.