So, I Got a Tattoo

July 27, 2012 By

Have you ever done something you swore you’d never do?

 

Last Sunday, I did.  This.

 

 

Yep, that’s #13 on my WTHN List.  And, it ain’t temporary.

 

 

As a public service, here’s how it feels to get a tattoo.  (Similarly to childbirth, nobody is ever really completely straightforward about the pain of getting inked.)
Stage 1:  Little scratches. Light and easy.
Stage 2:  Angry scraping. Put some effort into it.
Stage 2a:  Rub skin with a wet cloth.
Stage 3: Take a dull knife and draw circles on tummy. Pay special attention to hipbone. Dig the point in once and a while.
Stage 3a:  Rub increasingly sensitive skin with a wet cloth.
Stage 4:  Take a small chisel.  Apply it and attempt to dig out pieces of skin.
Stage 4a:  Rub extremely sensitive skin with a wet cloth.  Rub again.
Stage 5:  Little scratches. Light and easy.
Stage 5a: Continue to rub raw skin with wet cloth, notwithstanding the signals being sent by a very rigid, yet brave body. Rub with dry cloth. Rub with lotion.  Apply large bandage on very sensitive area with tape. Ensure that  the tape is pulling on any nearby hair.
To summarize, it hurts more than a leg wax, and less than an upper lip wax.  I can’t compare getting tattoo’d to a Brazilian Wax, since I’m rather against the idea of someone putting hot wax on my inner secrets.
Was it worth it? Abso-freaking-lutely.

Why, why, why?  Why would I do that?  Especially because my whole life my Grandfather drilled in to me, ‘Do Not Get A Tattoo.’

 

Ever since my father passed away, the idea of getting a tattoo ‘for him’ has been sitting right behind my voice of reason.  I just couldn’t get the thought of a permanent reminder (not that he needed one), out of my head.  I tried adding a little ‘A’ to my Links of London bracelet, but it just didn’t do the trick.

 

Originally, I thought I’d get a little tiny heart with an A inside it right over my heart. Because, that’s where my Daddy lives.  Forever.  But, then, as I racked my brain for a way to honour a man who was as unique and special as my Dad, an idea came to me.

 

I called my Step-mother and asked her to take a picture of this painting, which still hangs in my Dad’s house.

 

 

 

The lotus flower:  The Lotus flower is symbolic of rebirth, but in addition to its religious meaning, the lotus is also a symbol of all that is true, good and beautiful, representing good fortune, peace and enlightenment.

 


My father was a major collector of black & white photography  and other artworks.  He had an incredible eye for both the beautiful and the interesting.  He never bought a piece because of it’s dollar worth (current or potential).  He chose with his eyes and his heart.  This particular painting never increased in value.  For some reason, the artist never caught on.  But, it had a prominent spot in my Dad’s home. because it’s true value was in the eyes of the beholder.

 

 

His hospital bed was placed right next to it, and as he faded away from this world to the next, those water lilies were his window.

And, so, my lotus flower tattoo commemorates my father.  It’s a reminder to value things that I love, that make me smile, and that I hold dear.  It’s a reminder that dollars aren’t always the most important thing.
It’s a mark that will be with me forever, just like he will.
 Plus, according to my husband, it’s really sexy.
(Can you see the stretch baby love marks on my stomach? They’re well earned..)
Filed Under: Family, Humour, Life Tagged With: , , , , ,

Comments

  1. Stacey says:
    July 27, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    Beautiful :)

  2. Tweepwife says:
    July 27, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    Gorgeous. Big Daddy is smugly happy I just bet. I hope this satisfied your wish to make an indelible mark, quite literally really.

  3. Erica G (@EG_Cakes) says:
    July 27, 2012 at 11:07 pm

    You had me at ‘inner secrets’…

    A sweet reminder. I, too, never, EVER considered getting a tattoo, despite the fact that my nearest and dearest friends have one (or more). But my dad…my DAD…said he was thinking of getting one; a design he created to symbolize our family, which is etched in my mother’s gravestone, erected 14 years after her death. So now he has me contemplating the same thing; but if my brothers were to do it (and one is already very inked) it would be an epic bond. So glad you’re happy with the end result.

  4. Cheryl says:
    July 27, 2012 at 11:28 pm

    My dad is in the military and has tattoos from way back in the day. when I was young, it was also drilled into my head about never getting a tattoo. I now have 3. They all have meaning. And I’m pretty sure I’m done. I have a treble clef on my right lower back (symbolizing my first “life” of music) 2 butterflies on my right lower leg (Larger purple one for Lauren, smaller pink one for Jillian) and now a CP ribbon with the word “Inspire” above it, in an area that’s quite visible (my left inner wrist) to keep reminding me. :)

  5. Brandy @insanemamacita says:
    July 28, 2012 at 1:04 am

    You did it! It looks great!

    I was thinking of getting a tattoo. I just don’t know of what yet. And I don’t know if I am brave enough to do so. hehe! I gave birth not once but twice but am scared of a little needle.

  6. Pamela says:
    July 28, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    Beautiful post.

  7. Denise K. Livotti says:
    July 30, 2012 at 7:10 am

    Hi Mara,

    Beautiful story as much for the tattoo as for the memory of your Dad. Very touching.

  8. Pam @writewrds says:
    August 1, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    Way to go, Mara!
    You are inked and inspiring.
    (Sounds like he was an incredible person. I’m sure he would be honoured.)