22 Jan 2023
The other day I was peeling some squash and my peeler slipped. It took a good little chunk out of my left ring finger.
I ran to the bathroom to patch it up, but I paused. I watched the blood sort of pool up on my finger and then drip into the sink.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
And while it did, I found myself in a trance - I couldn’t stop watching it.
There was something about seeing the fact that, yes, I can and do bleed that was humbling. It brought me down to mortality for a bit, reminding me of all of these systems inside of me, operating ceaselessly to keep me moving, waking up every morning, and fending off threats.
But there was something else that occurred: I found myself focusing on nothing else. No existential thoughts of what I will do with my life. No concerns about what I’ll do tomorrow, or the laundry I need to do, or that I should reach out to friends.
It was a singular moment for a small finger cut.