OK, OK. It's Joe Biden. I know because I got the text message at 2:40 AM CDT this morning. Good thing it was fairly good news. Had it been a friend of mine texting while drunk, I wouldn't have been in a good mood.
And yet, Biden isn't the reason for my good mood today.
I'm a regular blood donor. I donate because in 1967, at the age of one, I swallowed an entire bottle of my grandfather's blood thinning medication. This required a transfusion and LOTS of Vitamin K. I sit here typing because of someone's blood donation over 40 years ago.
I've been donating consistently for so long that I forget that what comes out of my arm eventually goes into someone else's. I've never put an age, a face or an affliction to my blood going out into the great beyond. I've just kind of let it happen. I do have an occasional thought of meeting everyone who got a pint of my blood in the afterlife and giving a group hug, just because I like to think of the afterlife as subjectively perfect, ergo for me, the Hippie Ideal. Other than that thought, I'm just happy to give it away.
This morning, before my donation, I was told that my blood was on special order and was being sent immediately to Children's Hospital of Milwaukee. It's only 8:50 CDT right now, but after hearing that, there's not a damned thing that can ruin my day.
For anyone who has thought about and is physically able to donate, please do so, and if you're feeling up to it, don't stop there. I'm also on the national bone marrow registry. I am one of the fortunate ones that has no history of cancer in my family, so anyone who needs good marrow who I match is welcome to it.
I know there is some controversy about gay men still being deferred due to ridiculous regulations passed 20 years ago. Know that I agree with you, and that we should all work together to wipe this ancient prejudicial stain from what is supposed to be a selfless act.
Have a great day, everyone.