By the grace of dog

After a Denver television anchor was bitten in the face by a dog on live TV, she had two choices in telling her story. She could continue in her role as journalist and give official, cut-and-dried details of her recovery. Or, she could consciously create a story of healing and acceptance. Kyle Dyer chose creation.

The story has been well documented in Denver media and on the web. Max, an Argentine mastiff, had fallen through a frozen lake the day before and was rescued by a local paramedic. Kyle interviewed the dog’s owner and the paramedic the next morning. The interview had been going well; Max was sitting quietly and accepting pets from Kyle. Toward the end of the interview, Kyle did what many dog lovers would do: she leaned in to give the dog a hug. Max lurched forward and bit her right on the face. Kyle quickly leaned back, covered her mouth and the station cut to commercial.

News and video clips, of the accident went viral. Within hours, the web was full of stories, replays and conversations about the bite. Reader’s flooded comments on the station’s Facebook page in a barrage of both positive and negative statements. Even other reporters at the station were receiving mixed feedback on their own social media pages. The story took on a life of its own. People were concerned about Kyle and about the dog, which had been taken immediately into quarantine for 10 days. People were also angry about the incident.  No one was safe from criticism: the dog, Kyle, the dog’s owner, the television station. As happens in emergencies, people wanted someone to blame.

Blame seemed to be the furthest from Kyle’s mind in the days after the accident. She underwent hours of reconstructive surgery on her face to repair her upper lip and part of her nose. Skin grafts, additional surgeries and rest at home were the immediate mainstays for the journalist while she processed what had happened. Here’s where Kyle’s conscious creation story starts to take off.

“It’s a shame some negative stuff had to come out of all of this because, for me, it’s really been in an odd way a positive experience,” Kyle said to the Denver Post in an interview after her stitches were removed. That sounds like an odd statement from someone who just had a substantial amount of reconstructive surgery, but as Kyle began to tell her own story, she had the chance to focus on what was important to her.

Rather than focus on blame, disappointment and anger, Kyle turned her attention to her family. During her hospital stay, she wanted to make sure her own family knew what had happened before they saw it on television or social media. Already, she was taking her attention off of the incident – an important part of conscious creation. She didn’t focus on the negative comments that were streaming forth in the media. Instead, she started going through the hundreds and hundreds of cards, letters and posts to her Facebook wall that were supportive. And there were lots of them. She says she was overwhelmed with all of the outpouring of support from people who “only know her from TV.”

In the two weeks after the accident, Kyle couldn’t use her mouth to speak. She passed along quick notes to co-workers and viewers with notes on social media, but people were still anxious. The “story” was still generating it’s own energy and people around the world were hungry for more information. Viewers wanted to know the extent of her injuries. Animal welfare groups wanted to make sure the dog was okay. Journalists wanted to debate the ethics of the station’s handling of the incident.

Her own news station was first to show pictures of her face after surgery, a face besieged by 70 stitches and deep scaring. After the stitches were out, Kyle agreed to an interview with her morning show co-host so she could put her own “official” story into the record. Again, Kyle was exercising her option to tell the story the way she wanted to tell it. Yes, the station was in the middle of a ratings period where high viewership is important. The general populace and media bloggers all caught onto that. But Kyle was able to use that to her benefit. If she’s going to tell her story the way she wants to, why not do it with a large audience watching?

The Kyle Dyer people see on television every morning is a happy, positive person. Most would call is a “television persona,” as she has a very pleasant disposition for morning TV. But the truth is, Kyle is a naturally optimistic person. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her several times and I’m always struck at her presence and optimism. It seems to exude from her at high levels. This optimism has kept her going during her healing and is representative of some of the basics of Honoring Your Spirit.

Kyle is an awesome example of turning your thoughts to a desired outcome. When asked to summarize the incident, she told her co-worker, “I’m doing better. The dog is back with his family. It’s time to move on.” The journalist refuses to give in to negativity and blame. She has been very clear about her concern for the dog, the dog’s owners and others who have been affected by the incident. She sees positivity in the series of canine behavior stories her station ran after the injury.

For me, Kyle’s most heart-warming and effective use of conscious creation comes from her attitude toward life. It’s a premise that crosses many different religions and spiritual camps, but it’s a biggie: trust. Trust in the universe—or God, or All That Is, or whatever term you prefer—is one of the greatest healing energies available. A profound trust in the universe is hard to fake and people who have it have the world at their doorstep. Kyle’s deep faith has been showcased a lot in the past few weeks, and I think she says it best when defending her own reaction to the incident.

“I just had a feeling—and still do—that everything is going to be okay,” she said in an interview. Great words from an unknowing conscious creator and a woman who truly understands what Honoring Your Spirit is all about.