Donate blood

Today I donated blood for the first time ever in my life. I have to say, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It helped that I had a friend with me too. Margaret came, and we popped our blood donation cherries together. And then we ate Cheez-It crackers and Oreos while chatting and drinking Sprite.

I didn't realize it would be such a process, though. When all was said and done, I had been at the Red Cross for almost an hour and a half. The actual blood-letting only takes 10 minutes or so, but all the questions and preparation before, and then the resting and eating after, take a long time.

But, in the end, I feel pretty good. And I'm really proud of myself. I didn't totally freak out (or pass out or throw up) like I thought I would. I'm even considering making that a part of my regular routine (you can donate every 56 days).

So, if you are interested in doing a good deed for the day and possibly saving someone's life, I highly recommend it. You can make your appointment online. And you don't have to find a blood drive to do it; you can just go to the blood donation room at the Minneapolis Red Cross (which is what I did). I think they may even take walk-ins if you decide to do it on a whim.

And by the way, Margaret and I got a chuckle out of this little nugget at the elevator as we left: