What Comes Around Goes Around.
I started giving blood while I was in the Army in the 1970's. It wasn't altruism at first. In the Army, if you gave blood, you got the day off. Our unit gave blood on Fridays, which meant that giving blood got you a three-day weekend. But sometimes things that begin selfishly become altruistic. I found that liked the feeling of donating blood. You knew you were doing something good that would help others and you got treats too. I always enjoyed that cookie and juice, even though I could easily have just gone and bought my own. It felt good enough that I continued doing it after I left the service. For 30 years I stopped at the blood bank or the mobile van five or six times a year and gave my donation, and enjoyed my cookie and juice. Over the years apple juice gave way to cranberry, but the cookie of choice was always oatmeal. In the mid-2000's though, I started to have an issue. When the technician would poke my finger and squeeze out the drop of blood for testing, the d...