TMI.

I know I've gone on about how I don't appreciate people starting business or volunteer meetings by stating their religious preferences. But today, I was hit with something even more interesting.

I have a potential client in the next city over. We've talked a lot over email but she wanted to meet in person, understandably, to make sure that I could handle the rather large and expensive assignment that she was looking to staff. We set up the meeting for today.

This morning, she rings me about 5 minutes before I'm due to leave the house. She says that she needs to cancel our meeting because she's manic-depressive and is having an episode. She is planning to check herself into the hospital but wanted to make sure I knew she wouldn't be available before going to the trouble and expense of taking the train over. She'd call to reschedule once she was more settled.

On one hand, I'm grateful that she called before I left. But on the other hand, how the heck am I supposed to respond to that? I said something resembling "good luck and feel better soon," but I couldn't help but feel put on the spot.

Not to mention, thinking twice about signing a contract with her for a months-long project.

So, I ask you, readers, to tell or not to tell? Was this a case of too much information? Is this the way that we should do business these days -- with no holds barred? Or is this something I should be grateful to know, either as a consideration before taking the work or as a way of handling her if I do take it?

I do not know. Really, I don't.