Week 20: Sticks and stones

I think the theory of reincarnation goes something like this: if you're a good person, say your prayers every day, never steal, lie, or cheat, do for others, and never ask for a thing in return, when you die, you'll come back as a University of Georgia freshman during football season.

If you don't, when you die, you'll come back as a perpetually pregnant woman on the evening news, and everyone can share their opinions on what you look like over dinner. 

Okay, this analogy is a little extreme, but you get the point. Being pregnant is already one of the most emotional, insecure times of your life. Am I gaining too much weight? Am I gaining enough weight? Is my bump too high? Is my bump too low? Are these breakouts ever going to end? Is this pregnancy making my hair dull? Why are my nail beds doing this weird thing? 

Now, throw yourself in front of a camera that adds 20 pounds every night, find clothes that not only fit, but also don't make you look like a whale, and cake on enough hair and makeup products twice a day to moonlight as a Las Vegas showgirl, and you'll understand where I'm coming from. 

Most days, nothing would please me more than staying in my stretchy maternity yoga pants, not a hint of makeup on my face, a bucket of fried chicken in my lap, watching Gossip Girl reruns, trying to calculate the last day I washed my hair like it's an advanced Calculus equation. 

But, I picked a career that doesn't exactly allow for that. There are no 'ponytail' days. Don't get me wrong. I love my job. Absolutely love it. My husband once told my boss, every night when I come home, and he asks how my day was, more days than not, I say, "It was so great!" Not, "I survived," or "Ughh...don't even ask," but 'GREAT.' He told her as long as that was the case, he would do everything he could to support my career since I loved it so much. (Yes, ladies...he's real. And, he's taken...) 

BUT, that doesn't mean I don't have bad work days. 

Yesterday, was a bad work day. I checked my voicemail (hoping it was a great story tip...) No such luck. Instead, I heard this peach of a woman on the other end. 

"Please go to Target and buy some decent maternity clothes so you don't walk around looking like you got a watermelon strapped under your too tight outfits. Target's got a great line of maternity clothes in case you've never heard of such a thing. You're getting to where you're being disgusting on the TV."

So, the thick skinned journalist in me who knows better than to give comments like this a second thought says, delete the voicemail and move on. 

Unfortunately, I'm pregnant, hormonal, currently not allowed to drink wine, and feeling extra in touch with my feminist side. 

Here's the stream of consciousness I went through: 

Did she just call a pregnant person disgusting? What kind of...

I am only at week 20 of this? Am I going to have to deal with this crap another 20 weeks? Should I have my consultant or my boss call her and tell her tailored, form fitting clothes look way better on air than baggy ones, especially when pregnant? Is that a WOMAN who called me?!? Is she a MOTHER?!?!? The freaking nerve...

Do I really look disgusting? What outfit is she talking about? Why did she call on Friday, I wasn't even working Friday....did she boil over this all week and wait until I was off to leave me a voicemail? Oh crap, am I tearing up at my desk? NOT here. And, NOT over this. This lady doesn't deserve to get a rise out of  me. Does she know that I'm wearing maternity clothes? What does she want me to wear, a moo moo from the 50's? Does she know this is 2017? WHY DID SHE CALL ME?! And, why can I not stop thinking about this?! Hmm...bless her heart...

So then, I went to our archives to see what could have possibly revolted her enough to find our number, call us, sit through a phone tree, find my extension, and leave me a rude voicemail. Here's my past week's worth of on-air outfits: 

Most of the time, I keep my hands crossed in front of my belly.

  Maybe she doesn't like when I stand at the wall??

 This angle, I move my arms out of the way of the bump...maybe this? 

You get the picture. But, this lady really got me thinking...

I consider myself a confident, pretty secure, independent, woman. Why was I letting this one ridiculous, negative comment ruin my whole day? I've gotten dozens of compliments from viewers saying nice things about my pregnancy, why was this the one that stuck? 

I don't really have an answer. If I did, I could probably solve the world's bullying problem. But, that whole saying our moms taught us about sticks and stones is kind of garbage. In fact, sometimes, I think words hurt far worse than sticks. And right now, we are living in a culture tolerating, often even encouraging bullies. Politicians, angry Democrats and Republicans, anonymous keyboard warriors, social media bullies....How do we teach our kids to be kind when adults all around them can say such cruel things? 

It worries me. Right now, I can protect this sweet little boy. But, I won't always be able to. I certainly don't want him to dwell on the negative things insecure people are bound to say about him.

So, ​I think instead of letting this lady get me down, I'm just going to turn her negative energy into positive energy. I'm going to say as many nice things as I can to as many people as I can, and I'm going to do it in a dress that fits these beautiful new curves with my 'watermelon' stomach showing.