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Friday, March 21, 2014

inked

A topic of constant discussion and disagreement whenever I go home is tattoos. 
I will preface this with the fact that I have 4 tattoos and don't plan on stopping any time soon.
A little background about my beautiful ink.
Upper left: these are the Greek letters alpha and omega which symbolically mean the beginning and the end. It is derived from Revelations 22:13 "He is the Alpha and the Omega. The first and the last. The beginning and the end."
Upper right: Lumos is the Harry Potter spell for light. one of my favorite all time quotes is from Dumbledore when he says "happiness can be found even at the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light."
Bottom left: I got this after guiding my second sea kayak trip to the Apostle Islands. The symbol is Maori and a common kayaker symbol that represents safe travel across water. "Epo" is from a Maori song we would sing at camp that roughly translates to "we shall not be sad, we will only be happy, carry peace with you."
Bottom right: The newest installment. (also done in my handwriting!) On the Loose is a camp song we would sing at the end of every session and the lyrics have effected me unlike any other song. 
On the loose to climb a mountain
On the loose where I am free
On the loose to live my life
The way I think my life should be
For I've only got a moment
and a whole world yet to see
I'll be looking for tomorrow 
On the loose

Have you ever watched the sunrise
turn the sky completely red?
Have you slept beneath the moonbeam
stars and pine boughs over your head?
Do you sit and talk with friends
though a word is never said?
Then you're just like me, and you've been
On the loose

There's a trail that I'll be hiking
just to see where it might go.
Many places yet to visit,
many people yet to know
For in following my dreams,
I will live and I will grow
In a world that's waiting out there
On the loose

So in search of love and laughter 
I'll be traveling 'cross this land.
Never sure of where I'm going
cause I haven't any plan.
So in time when you are ready,
come and join me, take my hand
and together we'll share life out
On the loose
Side note: totally just got the goosebumps and a twinkle in my eye writing those lyrics.
ANYWAYS down to the meat of this post: tattoos!

The constant discussion with my mom is that now that I have blatantly visible tattoos and plan to get more not so discreet ink, that I will never really be professionally successful. Or that in 30 years when I start getting wrinkly and saggy, I will regret this warped ink on my not-so-elastic skin. I just have one word for all of that malarkey: FALSE 
This is wrong. Maybe I will never be a politician, with a body full of ink, and no I can't participate in Miss America because of my unconcealed artwork, but that isn't what I want. Someday, I will be owning my own camp, and if my tattoos scare you, I'm sorry that you don't appreciate how I choose to express myself.
And regret? I will never NEVER regret a single tattoo I get.
Tattoos are a way to document life. Each piece I've gotten, and each piece I get in the future tell a story. Getting each tattoo is like telling a story. The memories I have of choosing these tattoos and the memories I have of getting them is something I will have the rest of my life because they will be with me as long as I have my skin. And that is something I could never regret. 

Getting my most recent tat :) VIP studios, Duluth. Check em out! They're AMAZING

Yes, tattoos hurt.
Yes, they're expensive.
Yes, I am aware of how permanent they are.
No, I will never regret any of them.

I strongly believe that our body is the home for our souls, why not decorate the walls?
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1 comment:

  1. I love your Harry Potter tattoo! I've been debating if I want to get an HP one myself.
    I agree with you on your stance about your ink. I, too, have heard all of that about the one teeny one that I have now. And, of course, I want more.

    "I strongly believe that our body is the home for our souls, why not decorate the walls?"
    Perfection.

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