*Not her real name

Let’s talk blood. I can’t donate mine, thanks to a stint living in the U.K. Mad cow precautions, they say. Serious stuff, I know, but when my daughters were little, it was always good for a laugh. Their dad—me—would launch into a low moo, then louder and higher moos, until I was galloping on all fours, mooing like a lunatic. They’d be rolling with laughter. Comedy gold, folks.

These days, though, the blood talk is less funny. With regular blood tests as part of my medical saga, it’s become more about finding a vein than finding the humor. My veins are shy, so sometimes it takes a few tries—five sticks from three nurses is my personal best. They ended up just sending me home with a “drink more water next time” speech. Encouraging.

Yesterday, Phoebe was on vein duty, cheerfully tapping away on the usual places in search for a candidate while making small talk, which is usually my gig. I wasn’t up to it.
“Any fun plans today?” she asked. I shrugged.
She widened the filter. “Or this weekend?”
“This,” I said, pointing to the needle. “This is it.” Real conversational dynamite.

Driving home, I replayed that woe is me moment and how it was no help to anyone. Maybe Phoebe was trying to open the door for me to ask her something, dying to tell me what tickets she scored or birthday plans or what have you. I’ve been trying to make a habit of brightening the spaces I occupy, even if it’s just for a little while and a small space. She deserved better. Especially since she scored a direct hit on a vein her first try. Thanks, Phoebe. And sorry, Phoebe.

I’ve got this hypothesis I’m trying to test out: if you look for the good, you find it. It snowballs. Your eyes adjust, and suddenly, there’s more good to see everywhere. Like on the drive home from the blood lab. The sun peeked over the mountains for a beautiful sunrise. Thank you God. Neil Young crooned “Harvest Moon” on the car speakers, a charming little juxtaposition moment, thank you Neil. It’s a beautiful world.

Thank you for the reminder, Phoebe.

Neil and Phoebe just before embarking on their Sunshine world tour, as imagined in Midjourney.