UNSUBSCRIBE AND DELETE ME NOW! It's for the best - I promise...

Let us create a simplified life together.

Hi! My name is Sam. I am a Gardener and Storyteller of the Soul who weaves shamanism, story-telling, spiritual counsel and earth-based wisdom, to create a gentle and profound space for healing and transformation.

Welcome to Soft. Simple. Still. where like gentle butterflies that land upon your hand, soft words will land in your heart for profound healing, stillness and simplicity.

Photo by Ray Shrewsberry on Unsplash

Hello lovely one,

How are you? Are you feeling happy and content, or are you feeling overloaded and anxious? Maybe your desk is nice and clear and everything feels as though it is in some kind of “order” or maybe your desk is a colourful mess - things everywhere - maybe there is some order in that, maybe it is just chaotic?

I woke this morning to an avalanche of emails in my inbox.

I scroll… initially just scanning what is there.
I scroll… looking for the emails that need my immediate attention. Then action them.
I scroll… and smile at those emails that are “for a quiet moment” knowing that I can come back to those later, when that “quiet moment” is there.

I scroll… and see other emails. Emails that I have never subscribed too. JUNK. SPAM.

I scroll… and see emails that I once looked forward to receiving and now, well… I have moved on. They still come to me as I have yet to unsubscribe.

I scroll…my inbox and then my junk box. Sometimes emails that I want end up here. Most times I can just DELETE.

Today I looked and saw that I have nearly 800 emails in my inbox!

How did that happen?!
I stopped and thought… that is at least 800+ pieces of paper drifting in cyber space that I am responsible for.

800+ bits of paper that is my RESPONSIBILITY.

AHHHHH!

What an awful thought!
What. An. Awful. Thought!

DELETE.

ACTION.

DELETE.

UNSUBSCRIBE.

DELETE.

FILE.

REPLY.

DELETE.

UNSUBSCRIBE.

UNSUBSCRIBE.

FILE.

DELETE.

DELETE.

UNSUBSCRIBE.

and then I DELETED MY TRASH!!! (remember your trash. Imagine over 800+ pieces of paper in your Trash! DELETE!)

{big sigh out}

And then, oh dear! Have you ever considered your SENT FOLDER? I thought 800+ emails were enough! Do you know how many emails live in mine/your own Sent Folder?! I have only just begun that one…that my friend is for another day….

My dear friend, the DELETE button is your FRIEND.
The UNSUBSCRIBE button is also your FRIEND.

My goal is to only keep 20 emails in my inbox at any one time.

If I can do 10 that would be fantastic! I am currently nowhere near that number, however it is a beginning and it feels very liberating and refreshing.

I do have emails in Folders that I have made. Yes I am going through those too, some Folders I will keep, others, well they too will be DELETED.

Going through my emails is both liberating and freeing and at the same time mentally and emotionally TIRING for me. Sometimes it is like going through the old boxes that live in the garage…some are easy to delete. Others are, well, not so.

Plus my eyes get very sore. Even though I wear reading glasses being on the computer for a long time tires me out. Sometimes I feel it is more than the computer screen!

Does that ever happen to you when you sort your inbox… you you find you are on the computer longer and then your energy feels zapped afterwards. Do you ever feel like that? I would love to hear your reducing email story.

This little/big exercise has me asking myself…Why get emails if I no longer want to be a part of that group, that information, that mail-list?

When I asked myself that question the following came up…

• Feelings that I may be left out - if I don’t “keep up to date” I feel that I will miss out - miss out on specials, on workshops, on educational information etc etc etc

• Feelings of Guilt - that if I unsubscribe I may let THEM down. This doesn’t refer to companies, rather friends who have mail lists that I have been on for decades. If I unsubscribe what will they think of me - and does it really matter? Maybe I am just there to keep face or to to to….what???

In a world that is demanding so much of your time and energy, let me suggest that you UNSUBSCRIBE AND DELETE what you no longer want to read or be a part of.

Life is too short to have an inbox full of unwanted letters.
And then when you die, your family may eventually go into your inbox to sort out your accounts and bills - if you pay on line. Do you want to leave an inbox that is overflowing for them???

As I write the above I am also conscious that YOU MAY BE FEELING A BIT OVERLOADED BY MY EMAILS…

I send you a letter on WEDNESDAY - WHOLESOME WEDNESDAY and a meditation on Sunday - MEDITATIONS WITH SAM.

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THAT?

Maybe you wish to only receive one or the other, or none at all (if you do wish to unsubscribe I totally respect that, and “I thank you for spending the time that you did with me. May your journey ahead be filled with many moments of wonder, happiness and joy. In respect and kindness. Sam”)

When you click on the above link you will be taken to 3 options

Let me explain what each option is:

OPTION 1

POSTS - RECEIVE EMAILS FOR NEW POSTS

This is your Weekly-ish Wholesome Wednesday letter.

I write to heal and to empower you to become your own healer and wise-person.

You will find that my writings will encourage you to re-write your own story -

• by care taking your own inner landscape via journeying, meditation and earth based wisdom

• by befriending the once feared Dragons of Fear, Love, Shame, Grief and Anger

• by gently and compassionately exploring the once thorny and barren landscapes within, and tending to them with the gardener’s tools of Compassion, Love and Tears,

• and by encouraging you to reweave your heart’s baskets (that broke and tore because of trauma, soul loss and pain) so that you can feel whole once again.

Sometimes you will receive a voice over with this letter. I aim to accomodate different learning styles - some folk love to read words, some folk find reading difficult and prefer to listen.

What do you prefer - written or verbal?

OPTION 2

PODCAST EPISODES - I have just begun recording meditations to share with you.

Every Sunday evening I will send you a prerecorded 20 minute self healing meditation. At this moment in time, it is only offered here via Substack and on Apple podcast.

OPTION 3

New Chat threads - Receive emails for new threads in Substack Chat.

I have sent a couple of CHAT THREADS out - just promoting my workshops or the like. They are very short and to the point emails.

However the way I would like to use THREADS in the future is as a way to build up a COMMUNITY OF LIKE MINDED FOLK WHO WISH TO CONTRIBUTE TO EACH OTHERS WELL BEING.

It will be a safe and sacred space where say once a month or so I will write a question and invite you to share your thoughts. This has yet to complete its formation in my mind, so currently most of my emails will come via Wholesome Wednesday - Option 1.

With this in mind, please feel free to update your preferences.

I see Soft. Simple. Still and Meditations with Sam as an invitation for you to pop into my living room and share a cup of tea with me, to sit with me and ponder the bigger questions in life. To sit with me in a sacred circle while I share a meditation with you. To sit with me and feel safe as what you may have read or heard sifts things in you for greater healing and sacred change.

I do however realise that the wisdom that I offer may only be one part of your journey, and that there is possibly a time when you have to move on. I respect that. I only ask that you DO MOVE ON WHEN YOU NEED.

My dear friend,

May we together simplify our lives.
May we together reduce our digital footprint,
and may we together support each others journey if you or I or someone else has to energetically say goodbye to what you or I or someone else has to offer.

In honour of our journey to a simplified inbox/sent box.

Until we meet again,

Blessed be.

You can always reach me here if you would like to work 1-1 with me or join a workshop.