The Tattooed Mom
I am one of those moms. A tattooed mom. Whenever people see them, I get one of two responses. "Wow, that's cool! What's the story?" or "Oh, that's... different. Why did you get that?".
I'd love to sit here and tell you that I heard the first most of the time and that we are finally at a place in the world where tattoos are accepted amongst the masses. However, I get the second response more often. At least something of that sort. A disguised way of letting me know that they either don't like them or don't approve of them. Have you ever had a really cool story? A story of how something drastically changed your life? Something that you wanna share with everyone? Be honest with yourself for a minute, how often do you get to tell those stories to people? I'm guessing almost never, because stories that heavy are difficult to casually bring up in a conversation. People with tattoos have the coolest stories to tell! What is so beautiful about tattoos is that we get to share our stories with the world! Because whether others approve or not, they will almost always continue to ask about the stories behind them.
My back piece is a tree with leaves blowing through it, but this tree isn't just a tree that I got out of rebellion against my parents. It's a symbol of life. Life is such a gift! A gift that not everyone appreciates nearly as much as we should. Life is also a gift that I once took for granted as I attempted suicide at 19. And after I got through that, I wanted to constantly be reminded of the gift I was given a second chance at.
My beloved one is my reminder in my days of deep and dark depression that I am beloved! I am valuable. As I read in the book "Life of the Beloved" by Henri J.M. Nouwen, this quote captured my heart and inspired me to think past negative thoughts when they try and take ahold of me. "Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself 'These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in his eyes, called the Beloved for all eternity'".
I have a lot of tattoos. Many in this world now have them as well. We are just normal people with a lot of really cool stories! Some of you are just sitting there with negative thoughts circling your head about tattoos. While you sit back captured by these negative thoughts, you continue missing out on these stories. Missing out on crazy things that have happened in people's lives and how they got through those moments.
Are tattoos for everyone? Obviously not. But neither is bright and colorful hair, all black clothes, or... man buns. I am one of those "not a fan of the man bun" people. However, we can still appreciate other people's love for certain things. We can appreciate them for being who they want to be, and not being stuck in a mold of what they should or should not be. All any of us humans can do is just remember to respect and celebrate each others differences.
