Intentional Bleeding

So earlier this month I did something I had never done before. I donated blood. I friend of mine is a regular donor and invited me, including the incentives that we will get a long-sleeved shirt (way more valuable than a t-shirt, she indicated) and a chance to win a car.  That's enough for me!

The phlebotomists were friendly, the pain minimal (though the finger-prick iron test caught me off guard - that's the worst part), and you can't leave without feeling good. I watched as other donors bags filled up while they occasionally squeezed a padded tube in their fists and sipped on juice.  Then I got in my chair and looked away when she put the needle in. Once it was going I started to check out the scene and felt really proud of myself that I made it there.

I only felt the true weight of what I had done once it was all over and I could see the blood, my blood, distinctly outside of my body.  That little bag right there of my life juice could be a crucial part in saving another person's life.  It is truly amazing when I think about it.

Kind of like when I started to learn about birth and realized how it is this incredible thing that our bodies do.  We can grow people inside of us (at least most of us who are female). It blows my mind. What blows my mind about giving blood is the fact that I give away blood that my save someone else and my body will just make more of it.

There is this balance that must be understood with blood.  We have plenty to give away (the blood bank says you can come back every two months). But it our bodies lose too much, like in an injury, we might die if we don't restore it.  When I think of that I figure giving blood is one of the best things I can do.