Free Throws, Needle Pricks, and Four Pictures to Brighten Your Day

Yesterday I gave blood. The man that finished the process, the one that takes the vials for testing and bandages you up, seemed from observation to be relatively inexperienced at his job. To the point where I considered telling him how to do it. I've given blood enough to know the quickest way to make it an uncomfortable experience, and the best ways to expedite the process and make sure everyone is happy, albeit a pint lighter. Common sense things like if you want a band-aid to stick, clean the iodine off with one of the nifty alcohol swabs before putting the band-aid on. Or, before poking around with a needle to make sure one has not stopped bleeding, check to make sure you haven't put any kinks in the tubing. Mainly because if a donor has finished their donation in under five minutes then chances are good they did not stop bleeding precipitously.

However, I held my tongue and clenched my teeth, although to my own shame I winced once when he decided to use the needle as a probe. If there is one thing I've learned in my life, and by life I mean basketball class, the single most important aspect of free throw shooting is confidence. It might even apply to more than just free throws. If I, an untrained know-it-all, had gone in guns blazing to throw down on that woefully nonsensical man nurse, his confidence would have been shot. I knew that my situation was not dire, that it was not life or death, so I decided to let him proceed. Hopefully he will obtain better training, and I have no doubt he will improve with more practice. I was not (and still am not) a tiny female who just barely qualifies weight-wise and who has not had anything to eat all day. There was no danger of me fainting, and the chances of bruising are small for me. My veins are large and in charge, and they donate with the best of them. Broham just needs greater confidence, and if I can help with that, I'm honored.

The truth of the matter is, I appreciate it when people do the same for me. Maybe if Jemaine received positive feedback, he would not lose confidence while freestyling. I'm all for realistic goals and not dreaming of being a world-class ballerina when you're 60 with no dance training. But we all want to be awesome. We all want to have our thing. When someone says, "Dang, I wish there was someone around that could fix my sink," we want to be the sink-fixer. I think we live in a culture (referring specifically to man-culture) where we often like to kid around with each other and poke fun at some of those dreams. Maybe instead of laughing we can build confidence. If a guy says, "I want to ask that girl out who is way out of my league," we should say, "Dude, I have her number right here. Get some." Maybe not the "Get some" part. Or if a brother says, "I'm going to be the best (insert crazy goal here) ever," we should say, "Hombre, I've got your back."

And ladies, you can do your part, too. And I think you know what I'm talking about. Yep, that's right, kiss dudes right on the face. Or whatever you were thinking I was meaning because that's probably a better way of doing things. I'm not a woman.

I am not a confident man in most areas of life. Except test-taking and book-learnin'. And blood donation policies and procedures. And light handyman work. And baking. And domesticity in general. And adult-child interactions. Shoot, when I look at what I am confident about, I'd make an excellent husband. Unfortunately that's about where the list ends (though I'm also confident that if you've made it this far, you deserve an awesome reward, and it's coming).

So today, try to boost someone's confidence. Don't be a naysayer. Let cups be half full, or better yet, fill them to overflowing. Chances are your own confidence will increase.

And now for the reward.

I'm often curious enough to lick anything once.

Birds of a feather...nope. 

Imagine how much banana bread could be made if this were scaled up to human size.

Ladies, he says hello.