Apollonia
I've lost so many potential friends after I told them what I do that I have become wary of mentioning it, unless the other person exhibits signs of being very open-minded.
My most recent situation around the problem of being open with people: I had been having a great time with a new friend for over a year. We got along really well and had a lot of wonderful conversations about nearly everything and never ran out of things to talk and laugh about. We saw each other at least once a month. Finally a couple of months ago, I was emboldened to tell her about my work in the spiritual realm. I haven't heard from her since. Well, I take that back--she phoned me to get the name of my eye doctor, and when I said, "Shall we set up another lunch date?" she immediately said, "I'll have to get back to you on that." But she didn't.
Nearly three years ago, I moved to this small town where people are conservative. The usual question the locals ask when they meet me is, "What church do you go to?" When I first moved here I told people what I did, and most of them reacted badly. So now I've decided that this part of my life belongs in the column of my private spirituality, and I rarely talk to people about it anymore.
Luckily, I do have my old friends and colleagues that I stay in touch with, and a couple of good friends I've made here who know my dark secret and are okay with it, but for the most part, I don't enjoy being treated like a third-class citizen, a crazy person, or a criminal, so I keep my mouth shut.
My most recent situation around the problem of being open with people: I had been having a great time with a new friend for over a year. We got along really well and had a lot of wonderful conversations about nearly everything and never ran out of things to talk and laugh about. We saw each other at least once a month. Finally a couple of months ago, I was emboldened to tell her about my work in the spiritual realm. I haven't heard from her since. Well, I take that back--she phoned me to get the name of my eye doctor, and when I said, "Shall we set up another lunch date?" she immediately said, "I'll have to get back to you on that." But she didn't.
Nearly three years ago, I moved to this small town where people are conservative. The usual question the locals ask when they meet me is, "What church do you go to?" When I first moved here I told people what I did, and most of them reacted badly. So now I've decided that this part of my life belongs in the column of my private spirituality, and I rarely talk to people about it anymore.
Luckily, I do have my old friends and colleagues that I stay in touch with, and a couple of good friends I've made here who know my dark secret and are okay with it, but for the most part, I don't enjoy being treated like a third-class citizen, a crazy person, or a criminal, so I keep my mouth shut.