Monday I had my annual physical with a nice Korean-American doctor. Everything went well before phlebotomy. The blood drawing nurse tried my right arm first, then the left one. When blood didn't come out at her first jab, she started poked around underneath my skin within my flesh. It was so painful that I let out a shriek, despite myself.
She stopped, looked nervous and quickly apologized. I hurriedly comforted her, "Oh, it's okay. It’s just me. They always have a hard time drawing my blood. My arms are too fat."
I lied. This is almost the first time that I felt so painful. I lied in order to alleviate any anxiety the nurse might have felt. I lied to cooperate with the nurse and create a more positive atmosphere. I lied to show my understanding, hoping my lie could help her less nervous and get her job done. I think sometime we all need to lie in order to reassure others, to reduce anxiety or stress in others, especially when working with little children.
Two days have passed since then. I'm still thinking about the incident. Yesterday my sister told me that she did something rather upsetting today, that she broke two things. I comforted her, "it's okay, 旧的不去，新的不来" (Jiù de bù qù, xīn de bù lái), meaning, the new can't come if the old refuses to go. Out with the old, in with the new. The implied idea is: in order to embrace new opportunities or experiences, one must be willing to let go of the old or familiar zone. Let's embrace the new and forget the past!