Cool, laid back, and on the path

Daily Dhamma And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of life? ~Jesus, Matthew 6:27; Luke 12:25

Jesus really had it going on with that advice on worrying. I have never improved my lot in life one iota with the inordinate amount of hours I've spent worrying. To the extent that I can let go of worry, life is much improved no matter what happens.

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. ~Chinese Proverb

Aubrey meditating, September 9, 2008.

Don’t seek, don’t search, don’t ask, don’t knock, don’t demand – relax. If you relax, it comes. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, you start vibrating with it. ~Osho

I gave blood yesterday. I was a little dizzyish the rest of the day. Not bad, but I could definitely tell I was a pint low. I'm so grateful to still be able to give blood. I think about the times I sat with Savanah while she was being transfused and the few times when we literally had to wait for blood because they did not have her type. By the time they decided to transfuse Savanah, she was always so pale and weak I was sure she would expire if she didn't get blood immediately, so not having the blood ready to go was damned scary. While we are waiting, the blood bank is searching for a donor with that blood type to come in and give and they are calling other blood banks to borrow blood. Sometimes that blood has to travel hundreds of miles. What was going through my mind was, Are they going to get it here in time or is she going to die? Watching her "pink up" again was such a relief.

When you are giving blood at a blood bank like our local one, it is all very festive. The people working there are friendly. They go out of their way to make your experience easy. They almost always give you some sort of reward, like a t-shirt or a coupon for a free pizza or carwash. The place is bright and clean. But, as I watch my blood going into that bag, I can't help but think about the person on the other end. Maybe someone with a blood disorder or someone who has been in a traumatic accident or enduring some sort of long surgery.

Yeah, that little poke smarts a bit, but I know first hand what my small sacrifice, performed under ideal conditions, might mean to someone else. It might sound as if I'm bragging. Maybe I am, but my primary reason for talking about this is to encourage any of you who are healthy and able to donate to do so. A young man came up and sat next to me at the snack counter after I was finished giving blood. He had just donated too. It was his first time. He was shy, but when I said, "Good for you," he smiled like he'd done something really important. He had.

I hope you are all cool, laid back, and on the path today.

Graties ~

1. Blood donors and blood banks.
2. Kindles, Nooks, iPads and all other manner of tablets.
3. When Leetle is sleeping her breathing sounds like a bird cooing.