On Getting A Tattoo

I've been tinkering with the idea for a while about whether or not to get a tattoo.  Several friends have them, and I always find them fascinating.  My mom is of course really freaked out by the idea of a tattoo, since they are permanent.  But I know better than to get, say, Justin's name on my skin, or something like that.  Even though I have absolute and total faith that we are going to be together til the end of time, I still wouldn't chance it.  I'm superstitious, a realist, and paranoid.  All those things work in my favor when deciding on a tattoo.  So far, I've found 3 that really rocked my socks at the idea of having them inked on me forever.

1. A Sparrow.

I wanted a sparrow for the longest time for three reasons: Good Charlotte, Jack Sparrow, and "His Eye is on the Sparrow."  For me, the sparrow symbolized music that made me happy, a story that made me happy, and my faith.  Those things all meant a lot to me, and having them on my arm as a daily reminder really enticed me.  Since around August of this year, the sparrow idea was dropped in favor of #2.

2. A Bare Tree with the Roots Showing.

I know the tree here isn't bare, but the roots are perfect.

Autumn means many things to me.  It means love: I fell in love with Justin during fall of 2003.  We got married November 14, 2010.  Autumn means change.  All the leaves falling, and the temperature falling.  It's a magical time for me.  No other time of year compares to it.  For me, a tattoo of a fall tree with the roots showing says, "Remember your roots, but remember to grow."  It's perfect.  The leaves have the opportunity to grow back, to be reborn, but the tree is forever rooted in that exact same place.  I think it's quite lovely.

3. Walk By Faith on My Foot.

I found this picture on Pinterest (all of the pictures featured in this post link to my tattoo board), and cried when I saw it.  That particular Bible verse (2 Cor. 5:7) is sacred to me.  The first time I saw it was in Hobby Lobby on a wooden sign.  Afterward, I found it in my Bible, and have been in love with it since.  How swelled with love I get when I think of the meaning...it goes back to "lean not on your own understanding," but this verse is much more poetic.  Faith will guide you.  I lean more toward the idea of fate rather than choice, and so this verse works for that, too.  Having that verse on my foot is just genius in my opinion.

I have a few specific requirements for getting a tattoo:

• It can't be somewhere that I would need to have major surgery (like over the kidneys like a tramp stamp, or on top of my ovaries/hip bones).
• I have to be able to cover it up easily.
• It has to have significant meaning in my life, and I have to understand and be willing to remember that this is permanent.  So, Bieber lyrics are out.

My original placement plan for the first two was on my left forearm, just above the bend of my elbow.  That way, it fit all the above requirements, and I would be able to better moisturize it with my right, dominant hand.  But the idea of having the tattoo on my foot covers the requirements even more rigidly, and I could still moisturize it with ease.  I've heard from multiple people with wrist tattoos that they hurt like hell, so I dismissed that idea pretty quickly.  Plus, a wrist tattoo is pretty hard to cover up.  I have enough "padding" on my forearm that I feel confident it could protect against the pain for the most part.  And I know my foot would hurt, but now, thinking of putting that specific Bible verse anywhere but my foot doesn't seem right.

Because I feel like the sparrow idea (or at least the reasons I made for it) are much more whimsical and not very deeply meaningful to me, I have put that idea on the back burner.  If I do indeed go through with a tattoo (which has recently become an option for weight loss incentive), it will more than likely be either #2 or #3.  I'm really itching to get one, and may even do so this year, but the realistic side of me sees this happening next year sometime.

I will surely keep you posted. :)