The Inner River — The Colourful Journey of Blood
We learnt in school that blood is the red fluid that flows through our body. But if we could see what is happening inside us, we would discover a remarkable, constantly moving river.
The heart is its powerful pump. With every beat, it sends blood through an enormous network of arteries, veins and tiny capillaries.
And this inner river is not simply red.
Red blood cells give blood its familiar colour and carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.
White blood cells are part of our defence system, travelling through the bloodstream looking for threats.
Platelets rush to places where blood vessels are damaged and help form clots, preventing excessive bleeding.
And the liquid in which they travel—plasma—carries nutrients, hormones, proteins, waste products and many other substances.
There is another beautiful transformation.
Blood leaving the lungs, rich in oxygen, is bright red. After delivering oxygen to tissues, it becomes darker red before returning to the heart and lungs.
The veins we sometimes see beneath our skin may look blue, but our blood is never actually blue. The appearance comes from the way light passes through skin and is absorbed and scattered.
Every second of our lives, this inner river is carrying supplies to almost every corner of the body and bringing waste back for removal.
We rarely think about it.
But while we sleep, walk, laugh or dream, our inner river never stops flowing.
And perhaps that is the most remarkable lesson of all:
Life is sustained not by one great miracle, but by millions of tiny journeys taking place within us every moment.
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