logistical necessities - please read

on the chat, subscriptions, and a little reflection

Hello everyone,

I needed to send out this little logistically-themed email to make sure all was shored up with subscriptions, but first I want to thank everyone of you for your beautiful, rich comments. I have been brought to tears many times. What a thing it is to have so many interesting, thoughtful, beautiful souls as readers. It’s not something I really thought about before I started sharing my writing here, but it’s turned out to be truly the greatest joy of ever having been on this space. Thank you.

I’m so glad that one of my readers here, Edwin (who also happens to be a friend and ex-participant of my husband’s ‘program’ - thank you, Edwin!) has opened up a Discord (message board type thing) as a way for those that were on the chat and broader readers here to have access to one another for the issues many of us share and have questions about. It’s not something I’m going to be a part of, but I may pop in from time to time to say hello. It’s meant more for this wonderful gaggle of people to stay connected, ask questions, make friends, find one another in real life maybe? Topics in our chat revolved around parenting, food, relationships, health etc.. I suspect this will be similar.

To join the Discord, you can follow this direct link that Edwin has shared: Please don’t ask me questions about Discord. I have no idea how it works. I know you can go on there via your phone or your computer for the non-phone version. That’s all I got. As I said, this is a stand alone venture.

Memberships Update - PLEASE READ!! (and you know I’m not apt to use the all-caps so please listen up 😉)

Substack unsubscribing is a torture device. I’ve had to unsubscribe each and every one of you manually because of a glitch in their ‘bulk unsubscribe’ function. Anyone that had a yearly subscription has had their subscription cancelled and that is now awaiting a prorated refund. You are not being charged as of yesterday, but it may take a week to ten days to see your prorated refund returned to you. This is a result of the payment processor issuing the refunds.

Monthly paid plans should all be cancelled now. Nothing should auto-renew. I pray I got every one of you covered. Again, this is me cross-eyed at a screen so if I missed anyone, it wouldn’t shock me terribly. If something gets accidentally renewed, please rest assured I will make it right. If I could just shut off payments, I would in a heartbeat, but I can’t do that until the refunds have all been issued.

If you subscribed via the app (on a monthly membership), you will have to go into your membership and cancel your membership yourself as Apple/Google does not allow me (or Substack) access to cancel it. So, please go onto your membership and either unsubscribe or shut off automatic renewals so you aren’t charged anymore. You may also want to come back to the site here and resubscribe as a free subscriber if you would like to be notified of any future offerings.

A few of you have been subscribing via the app over the last day. I’m not sure what the thinking is around that, but please, there is no point in paying for a subscription. All that is here is here. There is nothing beyond a paywall and I am getting charged fees for this. Please don’t pay for a paid subscription. And as I said above, I can’t even cancel this on my end.

And now, a couple of reflections I would like to share, if I may:

I just wanted to quickly tell all of my subscribers, especially my paid subscribers, how touched I am. I’ve been sitting in front of this computer for two days and nights so I recognise I’m a little ‘sensitive’ but going through all of your paid subscriptions, one by one, and reading your names and seeing how many of you have been here since day one - five years ago (!!!) feels so precious to me. I purposely didn’t pay attention to paid subscribers and unsubscribes because sometimes that can be a bit of a sting. I never wanted to write something and then check how many people unsubscribed because I didn’t want to become cognisant of what was and wasn’t well received lest I write from an inauthentic place.

I am very aware that you are each your own dear souls and I’m sure you’ve often disagreed with me or been annoyed or frustrated or maybe even angry with things I’ve said or written. And yet… so many of you from 2021 still here! And then 2022 and 2023 and, well, my word, I am so deeply moved.

Substack has created this sticky web that makes backing out challenging. I’ve been sitting in front of this cursed computer clicking and clicking and bemoaning my lot, but now that I think I may be done getting you your refunds and ending subscriptions, I do believe that warmth I’m feeling is some deep gratitude seeping into my bones. A veritable gift, looking at each of your names, one by one, and remembering something. you shared with us or a bit about you or your family. Maybe you never commented at all, but loyal you’ve remained. What a profound honour. Thank you.

Alright, I have two dogs feeling quite betrayed by my absence. I must rectify that immediately before the sun sleeps for the night. Your comments on my farewell essay are so gosh darn beautiful. I will read and answer every single one. I think I may even print them out so I can read them when I’m feeling blue or just want to remember your sweet kindness and love. Please just give me a little time to respond. I must get off this computer and into the snow.

Oh! There’s so much I want to tell you already! We EMF mitigated our daughters apartment and measured everything with our meter and it’s just so darn crazy how she is living in calm now and we’re going to EMF mitigate our Airstream because I’m on a tear and I made the most delicious apple cake of my dreams and I have a lot of things to say about meat rabbits and I’ve figured out the whole living situation in our winter tent so we don’t have to sleep or wear any synthetic stuff and, and, and…. I better get writing it all down so I can share it with you all someday soon.

🌞❤️