By its very nature, the act of giving of yourself to help others often involves sacrifice and, occasionally, a bit of frustration. Through experience, Ira Riklis has learned that the best way to make it through those moments is to have a good sense of humor about them. When giving blood, for example, he finds it silly that technicians take your blood pressure after they’ve stuck your finger to draw blood for testing. Why not do that while you’re still relaxed—and your blood pressure lower—before they stick you?
Once when he went to donate blood, Ira Riklis found that the medical center had changed their donation forms to include legal jargon he felt was inappropriate. It turns out that the center specialized in “Directed Donations” where people give blood meant specifically for friends or relatives who needed it. In their view, they had the right to ask more personal questions since they had something of a “captive” clientele. When he objected to the new paperwork, the receptionist told him that if he didn’t sign the forms, they wouldn’t take his blood. Realizing that pointing out the errors in their “logic” would be a waste of time, he laughed to himself. “That will teach me a lesson, won’t it,” he thought as he completed the forms.