Gave blood today. It went well. Not the super-smoothest donation experience ever, but nothing went wrong, and my arm feels fine. I like the idea of giving blood, of giving something to other people without expecting anything in return (except maybe some fig newtons in the recovery area afterward). I wish the experience were a little bit easier, or I had more control over exactly where they stick the needle in, because sometimes it's perfect and the donation process is over quickly, and other times it's a little more painful and takes longer. Still, it's pretty cool that there are people (I'm gonna go ahead and use the ten-dollar word: phlebotomists) dedicated to getting blood donations, and they tend to be very professional and skilled at what they do. I never feel like people should give blood unless they want to and unless their bodies handle it well. I feel lucky because it doesn't bother me much to get shots or have needles in my arm to give blood, but that's really not in my control--just luck. I've also done it enough now to not be nervous about it. My curiosity about how the process works and what's happening at each step helps me distance myself from the visceral experience of losing precious bodily fluid, and it ends up being kind of cool to give blood.
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