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…

You can vote for up to three personal essays this week — It’s voting time! The Memoirist, home of some of the best memoirs on Medium, is hosting a writing contest. The contest is called Memoirist Idol. Submissions are closed, but you can vote for fellow writers — or heck, even yourself — now! Here’s a link with more info: Memoirist Idol: Submissions Are Closed. Round One Voting Begins! Memoirists,medium.com

Spoiler alert: I didn’t — The knock startled me. It was nearly midnight, and I was asleep on the sofa. I had dozed off watching Orange is the New Black on Netflix. My friends knew better than to drop by unannounced, especially at this time of night. I didn’t like surprise visitors, so I decided…

I may never see her again, but the experience will stay with me — I pushed my cart through the aisles of Target, cautiously taking in the sights and sounds. The bright lights no longer ruined my visit; the loud music didn’t trigger a vestibular migraine. Scanning the shelves caused mild vertigo, but nothing I couldn’t manage. After nine long months, my brain injury…

An herbal formula with research-backed results — I woke up in excruciating pain after eating a bunch of vegan dip from Trader Joe’s. Turns out there’s quite a bit of fat in nut-based dips, which I should have remembered. My right side throbbed, and I was nauseous and lightheaded. Pain radiated into my back and shoulder, and…

Here’s how the first 24 hours went with this tektite — Personal experiences with moldavite are all over social media, especially TikTok and Facebook. I’ve seen quite a few horror stories about this tektite, but not every encounter is bad. Not that it matters either way, as I can’t resist a unique rock, crystal, or meteor. I wasn’t going to let…

There’s nothing wrong with sobriety — I don’t like drinking. That’s not just a lie I tell myself. I have absolutely no interest in drinking alcohol anymore. I don’t like the way alcohol tastes. I don’t like the way it makes me feel. I don’t want to destroy my physical or mental health by drinking. I…

And 25 years later, it still hurts — Nirvana blared through the speakers of my clock radio, jolting me from my sleep. I yanked the purple comforter off my head and headed toward the closet. It was the last day of eighth grade, and my best friend and I were wearing matching shirts from Rave. I slipped on…