[lzwha]

Thank you all for your helpful advice. It's good to know that others whom I respect can understand my viewpoint; that alone makes it easier to deal with.

I am continuing to work on my meditation practice and trying to let go of my expectations of others. It is just, as they say, a bitter pill to swallow that some of those people in my life simply do not understand my life goals. Your acceptance does, and as my sifu says, we have to eat bitter before we can taste the sweet.