We’ve made happy memories in the trailer park, and that’s what matters. — I’ve rented the same mobile home for the last 8 years. That means my younger kids have spent most of their childhood in a trailer park; my oldest, nearly half her life. Before that, we stayed in various condos and apartments, none of which were as nice as our current…

Jumping on the bio bandwagon to share a bit about myself — Hello, and thanks for stopping by! I’m Missy, as you may have guessed by the title. I’ve spent the last couple years writing for Medium, but I’ve been a published writer since 2002. Gosh, I’m aging myself. My first piece was published in Teen Ink when I was a pregnant…

Great, another earnings post from a Medium writer — Confession time: I hate when people ask how much I earn as a writer, yet I can’t resist creeping other writers’ income reports. I’m nosy, plus I find them inspirational. Last year, I read an article by Erik Hamre called “If You Believe It’s Possible You Can Learn Any Skill.”…

Happy Mother’s Day. Or not. — As Mother’s Day approaches, I find myself reading more articles than usual about motherhood. My relationship with my mother is complicated, and hearing similar stories helps me feel less alone. I haven’t heard from my mother in years, but I no longer hate her. I recognize that while she wasn’t…

A glimpse at life with anxiety and OCD — It’s 8:51 a.m. and I’m sitting in bed, staring at my phone. I have an appointment in less than 2 hours, but I can’t make it. I’ve known this since yesterday, yet I haven’t called the office. The alarm goes off on my phone again, and I quickly hit snooze…

What a rude question to ask a pregnant woman — “Guess who’s coming to town!” my friend screamed through the phone. “Your parents?” I asked. “Even better!” she yelled. “The Wheel of Fortune crew!” I gasped. I’d been waiting years for the Wheelmobile to visit my Midwestern town, but producers always skipped our area. Now they were finally coming to…

A story of addiction, abuse, and everything in between — My best friend sat on my unicorn canopy bed and listened as my dad loudly strummed his guitar. The amp made the walls of our tiny home vibrate until my head throbbed. Quiet time was a rare luxury at my house. “Wow. Your dad is so cool! Can I go…

Maybe it’s time to start job hunting — More than 50% of Americans are unhappy with their jobs. If you’re part of that percentage, you may be wondering whether you should stay with your current employer or find a new gig. For starters, think about how often you feel frustrated with your career. It’s natural to have a…

I used to earn a 4-digit monthly income there — I earned $1 from NewsBreak last month. Well, let me backtrack a bit. I earned $2.18 from NewsBreak in February, but the company rounds earnings to the nearest dollar. That put me at $2 for payday, but there’s a $1 fee for payment processing. So I received a whopping $1…