10/07/2025
🌙 Middle-of-the-night vent from a tired but trying seller 🌙
You know those moments when one small comment from a buyer sends you spiraling in the middle of the night, questioning everything? That’s me tonight.
I had to cancel an order for a misplaced brass trinket box — it happens. I immediately refunded the buyer, apologized sincerely, and even told them that if I came across the item, I’d send it for free.
Their response? A harsh criticism of my “business skills.” And while I know it’s just one person behind a keyboard, sometimes that’s all it takes to undo you for a bit. 😔
What that buyer doesn’t see is everything behind the scenes.
eBay isn’t my full-time gig. By day, I teach over 100 middle school math students — more than 30 with IEPs or 504s — and I pour my heart into helping them succeed. It’s meaningful work, but it’s exhausting. My days often stretch from 8 to 12 hours just to make sure my students get what they need. Math is already one of their least favorite subjects, so every lesson feels like climbing a mountain. I love what I do, but it can drain every ounce of energy I have.
Then there’s our life outside the classroom. My husband and I live on 10 acres, caring for an assortment of animals that somehow all found their way to us — an almost 30-year-old horse, two miniature cows, two potbelly pigs, two mini pigs, chickens, and six dogs. 🐴🐄🐖🐓🐕 They all depend on us.
On top of that, we’ve got fences down from storms, trees to clear, gardens to w**d, fields to mow, and buildings that need painting and repair. It’s a beautiful life, but it’s constant work.
And when I’m not teaching or tending to the animals, I’m selling furniture and collectibles on Facebook Marketplace or eBay, trying to refinish and upcycle what I can. I freelance as a notary, and in the evenings I even write letters to casinos for a little extra cash — anything to chip away at debt and inch toward the dream of one day being able to slow down, travel, and breathe. 💸
And through it all, I carry the emotional weight of the world. Family relationships strained by political divides that clash with my moral compass. The endless heartbreak from watching injustice, suffering, and cruelty on the news. I cry for children trafficked, for immigrants mistreated, for people bombed and starved, for racism that refuses to die. Sometimes I just try to watch a video of happy puppies, but even then, reality creeps back in. 🫠
I miss my daughter terribly. She’s grown now, living across the country with her partner, who’s transitioning. Because of the current political climate here, they don’t feel safe visiting our state — and I completely understand. Their safety comes first. But the distance aches. Visiting them means a six-hour flight and over $1,000, so it doesn’t happen often. ✈️💔
So when a buyer decides that one misplaced brass trinket box defines my “business skills,” it stings deeper than they could ever imagine. Because they’re not seeing a careless seller — they’re seeing a tired, human person who’s doing their absolute best to hold everything together.
All of this to say: sometimes one little comment can send you spiraling in the middle of the night, wondering what the hell happened to my life?
But come morning, I’ll get up again. Feed the animals. Teach my kids. Try to do a little better, even if no one sees it. Because that’s what we do — we just keep going. 💛
Just needed to share with people who understand.
