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Joie de VIVre

My husband, Sunday morning breakfast, crossword puzzles, my godson, traveling, roses, my incredible friends

VIV Moment

In January 2005, I was bitten by a dog. He took off my top lip, shredded my bottom one, and damaged the surrounding facial area. I lost all feeling and muscle in my mouth. At the hospital, they told me not to look at my reflection, but it was the face I was going to have to live with, so I did. I went to the bathroom — escaping the doctors, nurses and my best friend Kyle who had raced to the hospital — and looked in the mirror. It was the strangest sensation: I had no idea who the person was looking back at me.

As they wheeled me to my room, no one we passed would make eye contact with me. The doctor had told me he thought that after all the surgeries, I might feel comfortable in public. Might.

When I got to my room, I asked for pen and paper since I couldn’t speak. And instead of writing, “Please tell me this isn’t happening,” which is what I wanted to scream out, I made a list of 100 reasons why the dog biting me was a good thing.

That was my VIV Moment. In that instant, I realized I could be a victim of the dog, of other people’s cruelty, of my own fear and vanity, or I could choose to instead figure out why everything in life is a blessing, no matter how brutal the lesson. I don’t know where that list is now, but I know what #101 would be — Kyle. The best friend who came to my rescue not only stuck around through a year of eight surgeries — he married me!

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