Bloodwork and Bureaucracy

So, this morning I went to get my blood drawn for all the various tests that Catholic Charities require we undergo (AIDS, Syphylis, drug testing, etc.). Getting blood drawn (regardless of what it's for) is so bureaucratic and reminds me of everything that's basically wrong with our health care system. They take the person completely out of the process; granted, I understand that they do the same blood draws how many hundreds of times, probably, each day, but still, some courtesy or a smile would be nice.

My solution, lately? Kill everyone with kindness.

The ruder the receptionist, the sweeter and more smiling I am. My goal with people at places like LabCorp is to get a laugh out of them. And I usually do!

Today a pregnant woman was sitting in the waiting room across from me, rubbing her belly. That was kind of hard to see; it brought back a lot of memories about the mountains of bloodwork I myself went through during the fertility treatments and then later, once I was pregnant. But I did OK. I kept telling myself, "You're going to be a parent, too, Kathleen, and that's AWESOME!"

So that's one more thing to check off the list. I think I'll have a glass of wine tonight (it's our "date night") and raise a toast to the cotton taped on the inside of my arm.

Cheers, everyone, and have a wonderful weekend! Tomorrow morning, I am taking the Amtrak to NYC to visit my dear friend Serena, see a show, and get to know her two adorable little boys! I'm so excited for my adventure! I need a break from all of this adoption stuff.

Wish me luck in navigating the NYC subway system. I'm a little nervous about that part.

K