Please don't cut my cape

It was a case of the Mondays, and yet it wasn't.

Feeling a bit sluggish I manage to roll my tush out of bed and wrestle clothes on two kiddos and myself. I think my daughter even let me do her hair - gasp! My son gobbles up some chocolate chip pumpkin bread that I had baked myself, Betty-Crocker style. 

8:22 a.m.

We head off to school and smoothly say goodbye to Jack.

8:35 a.m.

Emme and I then bop off to mama's workout studio. 

9:45 a.m.

We get home, play and do some laundry. She loves helping with this chore.  

10:45 a.m.

Emme and I sit in the bathroom chatting and playing as I get ready for work. Good thing I had showered and washed my hair the night before! I worked out, but I didn't sweat too much so I jump in the shower and decide to dry shampoo my hair. This way I can curl my hair to save my sanity. 

11:22 a.m.

Time to get Jack. We do, run home.

11:35 a.m.
I toss the invisible childcare baton to my husband who is home for lunch. I give all my people a hug and a kiss as they sit down for lunch, and I run out the door. 

12:15 p.m. 

I meet a photographer to interview an amazing woman who is battling pancreatic cancer and the wonderful people in her life who are taking part in a research project to hopefully better screen, treat or prevent this awful disease. Inspiring people!

2:15 p.m.

I pop back home and scarf down a salad before I run to work to anchor the 4, 4:30, 5 and 6. I think I manage about five minutes of hair and makeup freshening up in there. 

6:38 p.m.

Finally! A breath. I sit down and check emails and messages. A woman, who has written in the past but I have never met has messaged me to let me know that she did not like how I styled my hair. I won't get into details. I don't want this to be about her or her comments, and I don't want her to feel attacked. It did not seem like she intended to be rude or mean. I'm simply using this as an example. 

Because here's the thing, she cut my cape. 

I had been flying through this day feeling like a rockstar. My tasks were relatively mundane, but I was getting things done while enjoying the tasks and the people around me. That's living, in my opinion. Dagnabbit, I'll say it, I was feeling superwoman-esque. 

But just like that, a sharp tongue can cut a cape.  

"Be stronger." "Who cares?" I told myself, "You've heard much worse before, you'll hear much worse again, get over it." "I mean, to be honest, you kinda thought you were having a bad hair day too."

I thought about saying how I chose more time with my daughter than my hair or how I really needed to start the week with a workout. I wanted to say that I know appearance is part of the job, but really does one hairstyle on one day make you not want to watch? And if it doesn't really bother you that much, as it shouldn't, why did you say something? But I chose not to get into it. I coldly responded to the woman's comment but did not say much at all. 

I still felt that cut cape limply behind me. 

I took to Twitter. I simply said this. 

Pro tip: if you wouldn't go up to a stranger and say to them, "I didn't like your ____ (hair, dress, top, makeup) today" then you probably shouldn't do it to your local news anchor either.

— Jennifer Griswold (@griswoldkmtv) September 24, 2018

And you responded. So many of you responded.

Some told me to know I'm beautiful. Others shared stories of similar comments. But what really struck me was the overwhelming sense of support. Thank you. It is so easy to allow these negative comments to resonate. We let the insults scream at us while the compliments barely make a whisper. Time to turn that around. I'm an independent woman. Sometimes to a fault. Sometimes I need to remind myself that connections with other humans feel really good, and at certain moments, they are needed. This incident was so small, but it's taught me a lot. Thank you. 

As for that little tear in my cape, it's now stitched up with love, support and encouragement. And you better believe it, I'm flying once again.