Giving blood

I finished my day by giving, literally, my third pint of blood since I began this campaign. A few more and I’ll be up to five gallons.

Yesterday was one of the first times since I’ve begun contributing blood that I didn’t joke with the nurses about how skittish I was at having my blood drawn. You’d think that after forty or fifty times I’d start getting over this and maybe I’m starting to.

I blame Mr. Behrends for my giving blood. He was my biology teacher when I was a high school sophomore at Mankato High. A former high school heavy weight wrestler, he might even have been a Minnesota champion, he was a pretty religious fellow and earnest as the day is long. He once told us to be prepared if we ever talked to a committed communist to face some pretty rigorous skepticism about things like Christianity.

I mostly remember mangling our poor pithed frog when we had disections to do. I was not headed for a surgical career and It was all I could do to prick my finger to put a drop of blood on a slide. The funny thing is that blood and pain don’t really bother me all that much. Its needles inserted into veins that gets me and it has ever since I was a little kid.

Mr. Beherends told our class that he felt is was our civic duty to donate blood and his conviction impressed itself on me enough that I gave blood a couple times in college. The first time I almost fainted. I took a break for a number of years after I was first married but my wife got me started again when she made a donation. In good conscience I had to resume as well and the Memorial Blood bank has had me in its sights ever since. It used to be twice a year but recently has become a four times a year “gift.”

I read recently that some scientists speculate that regular blood donations prolong the life of the donor (as well as the donees). I like the sound of that since I’d like to inflict myself on the world for as long as I possibly can.

About the author

Harry is a ferociously good natured eccentric in Duluth Minnesota who detests traitors dressed up as Uncle Sam. You can find somewhat better edited writings of his at the Duluth Reader "contributors." page. The URL is:

https://duluthreader.com/contributors/h/84/284-harry-welty