Oh, hello Friday! This weekend I have a million things going on, and I am so excited (and a little nervous!) for all of them. They include my photo shoot that I am foodstyling (Mary is photographing, yay!) and my first time paddleboarding (which Lauren insists is fun but I am still nervous.)

But I want to talk to you about yesterday! I signed up to give blood yesterday through UCLA since they do a blood drive at my work about every six months. Usually, I have trouble giving blood, and in the whirl of this week I didn’t have much time to up my iron in my diet. However, I did have kale on Wednesday night, and yesterday I kind of just had this feeling.

I have these feelings often. They helped me anticipate when my name was going to be called to talk in class (I always kind of just knew I was next) and when I was going to win something from a fish bowl of names for some contest here or there.

So when I woke up yesterday with said feeling, I just knew I was going to somehow have enough iron to give. Your level has to be at 12.5 to give, and last time I was at the drive at work mine was 12.0. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, because it’s also been 11.9, 11.5, 11.4, etc., but I just knew.

And so, when the nurse said, “14.4, you’re good.” I was ecstatic! Above my normal! Totally in the clear! Ready to give!

As someone who is O Positive, and someone who doesn’t not care one iota if a needle is in my arm, I was so glad to be able to give. Because I can, and because I have a blood type that is very much needed. Because I don’t squirm or faint or anything. And, having being blessed with not being afraid of needles or blood, I feel like it’s my duty to use that to my advantage and give blood!

Here’s my arm after yesterday’s donation: green gauze! They even let you pick.

Here’s some information about blood donation from the Red Cross:

• Share of the U.S. population eligible to give blood: Less than 38 percent.
• More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• The blood type most often requested by hospitals is Type O.
• The number of blood donations collected in the U.S. in a year: 16 million (2006).
• The number of blood donors in the U.S. in a year: 9.5 million (2006).

Let’s do some math. If 38 percent of the population is eligible to give blood in the US, and in 2006 there were 9.5 million blood donors, that means 104.5 million Americans who are eligible to give blood don’t.

Are you one of them? If so, maybe you should donate! Do you know your blood type? Hospitals most often need Type 0 blood, but there are rarer blood types that are also sought.

If you have questions, let me know! I’d be happy to answer what I can and I’d be happy to go with you to give blood!