A Productive Autumn Day.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is welded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
~George Eliot

I have to say that I am loving the autumn weather. I know it's getting a little chilly, rather quickly. But feeling the crisp air on my cheeks when I walk outside and seeing the leaves blow in the wind is just enough to brighten my day. I'm beginning to feel like I need my gloves, and we've already had our first light dusting of snow, but I must admit, that I still love it much more than the dead heat of summer.

Our first snow was on Tuesday, and rather fortuitously, I had the day off from work. I had an extremely productive day: Skyped with Agne in Lithuania, Skyped with Lindsay in Qatar, cleaned the kitchen, made a large batch of chicken and wild rice soup, then divided it into individual containers for meals for the next week and a half, cleaned my room and bathroom, all the while staying cozy inside with the blustery winds swooshing around outside. That afternoon, I left the house to work out, then later to give blood, grab dinner, and then off to SLCA rehearsal. A very productive, happy Autumn Tuesday.

I love days like that.

Giving Blood.

I think the last time I donated blood, I was in high school. Queasiness and nausea overcame me and it wasn't a good experience. Actually, that experience is the cause of my aversion to apple juice. They made me drink a whole cup when I was feeling slightly lightheaded. It was just too much, too fast and it made things worse.

Anyway, that aside... I know it's been too long, but the bad experience mixed with international living and travel have given me excuses to avoid being pricked. But several months ago, I learned that M regularly donates his blood about once every couple of months and felt that guilty feeling that I knew should be doing it too. So a couple of months ago, I asked him to let me know the next time he was going. He called on Tuesday and told me he was going. Talk about no warning. Good thing I'd eaten well that day.

We went over to the Stake Center, where the blood drive was being held. I can't deny that I was a little nervous, considering my last experience. But everything went smoothly and we were lucky to have a really good phlebotomist. She was able to find my vein expertly, which I've been told (and have experienced) is quite a task.

Despite the fact that I got a little queasy afterward, overall it was great and I'm happy I did it. I think it will become a fairly regular thing. Having that great satisfaction that you're helping someone is worth three minutes of queasy sweats.

From the Red Cross website:
Every minute of every day, someone needs blood. That blood can only come from a volunteer donor, a person like you who makes the choice to donate. There is no substitute for your donation. When you make a blood donation, you join a very select group. Currently only 3 out of every 100 people in America donate blood.

To learn more about blood donation opportunities, visit www.givelife.org or call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543).