.....it is possible to go out into the world and have positive relationships with others, and it is possible to face rejection, without handing out one's serenity to another human.

I have a large real-world social circle that fills many of my emotional needs, and I somehow hope I am filling some of theirs in the process. It is a great situation. But I never would have reached that point if I did not outright accept that my serenity and peace of mind could not come from any of them - that comes from my relationship with God, so who am I to let another's rejection get in the way of that gift?