I gave blood yesterday. The American Red Cross is in dire need of blood donations right now and I had made the appointment six weeks ago. It was important to me that I go.

They have strict rules about masks and cleanliness. It’s basically impossible to social distance in a situation like this but I felt perfectly comfortable.

Giving blood has become an important part of my routine. It doesn’t help me today and I genuinely hope to never need blood. But someone out there right now is sick or hurt and they badly need the help. It could be any one of us and we would want the blood supply to be there if we were in their shoes.

It took 37 minutes this time. That was 37 minutes to get checked in, wait my turn, give, claim my snack and be on my way. Those were 37 minutes well spent and I’ll look forward to going back next time.

Want to help? You can click this link and search by zip code to find a blood drive near you.