Intimacy With Fear | By Pema Chödrön | Issue 511 | The Sun Magazine

Intimacy With Fear

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Correspondence

After I read about Krista Bremer’s friend Elaine, who could no longer afford her rent [“Become a Friend of The Sun,” July 2018], followed by Pema Chödrön’s essay about becoming familiar with fear [“Intimacy with Fear”], I had to respond. I am seventy and was living in low-income housing. When my monthly rent was raised by a hundred dollars, I could no longer afford both a car and an apartment. Like Elaine I work and volunteer in the human-services field and need my vehicle.

After facing down my fears, I put my belongings into storage (giving away my furniture) and traded my car for a small van, in which I’ve fashioned a cozy bed. I am going to let life determine where I go and not be afraid of change. I have a “roof” over my head, a comfortable bed, food, and a membership at the Y — more than many others have. Things are not important. People are.

Paula Marston Raleigh, North Carolina
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