Drained

I was feeling pretty well right after giving blood, and I concentrated on taking in fluids and eating enough food to avoid a crash,* but it came anyway. A familiar dull ache in my muscles. Decreased mental alertness. The same bodily weariness that follows a long session of tattooing (albeit not to the same extent). I'm never quite sure how to snap out of it. My stomach sort of hurts, so I don't feel like eating anything, but I feel like I should eat something. I'm thirsty, but I already drank so much water that I feel bloated. I'm sleepy and achy, but I want to get up and move around. Sometimes our real needs are elusive and simple. I think I just need a friendly smile and a good hug from a pretty girl. There's a treatment that never fails to get results.

*I'm a bit on the light side, so I acutely feel the loss of a pint of blood. I envy people like my friend from college who could donate plasma week after week and never seemed to miss it. She was richer than me, but her arm looked like a heroin addict's.