completing the circles of kindness and compassion

Do you ever wonder about gossip? I certainly have talked about family and friends in ways that I regret. It always seemed that there was some justification for it. They were mean to me , or they ignored me or I was bored. I remember talking to a good friend and I felt really misunderstood. I wanted someone to listen to me about a difficult decision that I needed to make and we just ended up being angry at each other. I could not say what I wanted and neither could she. Somehow we ended up blaming each other. Then the circle grows from two people to several. Because at this point, I complain to another friend that the previous conversation did not go well and we are off and running with gossip.
What if, instead of talking to someone else, we went back to the original person and actually asked for what we wanted.ie, I want you to listen or I need some help.
Then perhaps the two people can have a really meaningful conversation and be done with it. Gossip will disappear if we could do this more often. I feel like we have infinite opportunities to complete the circles and offer kindness and compassion in our relationships with others. ie. the Barrister at Starbucks who did not hear your order clearly, the grocery store cashier who rang up an incorrect product price and the list goes on and on.......