The Dog That Almost Blinded Me as a Child Is a Lesson of Forgiveness

Pardoning other humans is even harder.

I can still see the animal’s gaping mouth. I remember it like a blurry photo taken with a slow shutter speed. My brain didn’t act fast enough to capture the image in full resolution.

I feel the wall on my right and know where all the furniture in that living room was. I can close my eyes, shrink down to the size of a three-year-old, and stand there in my grandparents' living room some 23 years ago.

The only thing I don’t remember is the pain. I remember my hands and face suddenly being covered in blood and the look on my grandma’s face when she saw me.

So that’s that for a scary story. I promise you that I’m okay. I’m not scarred from the incident, though I do rock an actual scar on my forehead.

The doctors sewed 33 stitches into my three-year-old head to close up the bite.

The scariest part is that the dog, my grandparent's flat-coated retriever, actually meant to take out my eyes. It didn’t try to bite off my hand or my arm; it came straight for my face.

My huge forehead saved me, luckily, and the dog miscalculated its trajectory.

Regardless, I love dogs to this day. I’ve forgiven them as a whole and learned what it means to get over something when you’ve been wronged.

I almost lost my left eye at the age of three. I’ll never know what kind of damage could’ve been done, but 33 stitches in my head might’ve translated to something far worse.

I’m shuddering, even reflecting on the idea. Oh, how my life could’ve been different. I imagine myself walking into kindergarten with an eye patch and all the kids laughing at me for looking like a pirate.

I could’ve missed out on so many things, but I didn’t. I appreciate what I have now and the people who have chosen to be in my life.

Everything happens for a reason, though. If I was meant to rock an eye patch, hopefully, my firm will could’ve carried me through the hard times.

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