Can we just take a moment to talk about our inboxes? Like really talk.

If you’re part of my generation — or older — you’ll remember that if someone wanted to send you something promotional, they had two choices: snail mail or knocking on your front door. And if they were really aggressive, they’d do both. We’d walk outside and spot a door hanger flapping in the wind — information we didn’t ask for, didn’t want and probably didn’t read. We’d roll our eyes, yank it down and toss it straight in the trash.

That was the extent of our “unsolicited marketing.” One. Single. Door hanger.

Now fast forward to today — our inboxes are the digital version of an entire cul-de-sac covered in flyers, glitter and empty Amazon boxes.

And yes, I fully admit, I am part of the problem. I send emails. I write newsletters. I lovingly and intentionally share updates with my community and subscribers.

I try to make them fun, helpful and full of value. But when someone unsubscribes? Oh, it stings. It’s like getting dumped in a text message. Sometimes I even message them like, “Wait, what did I do? Did I say something wrong? Can we fix this?” Crickets. They’ve ghosted me. Discarded me like meat they used to enjoy before deciding to go vegan. No warning. No closure. Just… gone.

But the truth is, at least those folks actually opted in. They clicked “yes.” They raised their virtual hands and said, “Lisa, I want to hear what you’ve got to say.”

Unlike the other 4,000+ emails sitting in my inbox that I definitely did not sign up for. Somewhere along the way, my email became a magnet for every sale, webinar, AI tool, candle subscription and once-used coupon code.

I now get emails from companies I’ve never shopped at, newsletters I’ve never read and random influencers trying to sell me a lifestyle I didn’t ask for.

And the worst part? Unsubscribing isn’t even safe anymore. Scammers hide behind those links, using our desperation for digital peace to reel us in. It’s like fighting spam with a sword made of Jell-O — completely ineffective and very messy.

Remember when having a Gmail account meant you were part of an elite tech-savvy group?

Or when Outlook only had one folder because everything you received was actually relevant? If you had multiple folders, it meant you were that person in the office — the organized one everyone went to for help finding the latest meeting invite.

Now I spend precious hours clicking and deleting just to avoid paying more money to store more junk I never wanted to begin with.

It’s like cleaning up glitter after your kids crafted in the dining room. You think you’re done, and then you find more. In your hair. In your sock. In your dog’s ear.

It’s exhausting.

Sometimes I imagine what it would be like if every email we got came with a real-life door hanger. Just picture your neighborhood — flyers dangling from every knob, papers floating across the lawn. We’d be getting calls from zoning. Citations for promotional litter. Neighborhood-wide interventions.

So here’s the deal: if you’re reading this and you’re drowning in inbox clutter too, I see you. I’m with you. Maybe we can all be a little more intentional about what we send — and a little more courageous about what we say no to.

And as always, from me to you — keep showing up, even if it means saying unsubscribe once in a while. Your attention is sacred, and sometimes… silence is the most powerful response.

Mother, author, entrepreneur and founder of Dandelion-Inc, Lisa Resnick wants to hear your story. Share memories with her by emailing lisa@dandelion-inc.com.