Life on the other side of a Tattoo

I thought I was half-crazy and half-optimist.

Turns out that being half crazy and half optimist leads you on a scandalous journey

Mine is no less. When I hit 35, I decided to mark this milestone with a tattoo. I cornered all things that are sacred to my heart. I made lists of things that I carried with me on my journeys. These numerous lists always had a few things in common.

Dolphins, an enso, many leaves, trees, solo walks, early mornings, bike rides, beach waves, and lots and lots of bookmarks I purchased as souvenirs on my travels. As I was rounding them off, I had a remarkable thought.

A dolphin jumping out of the water to aid as a reminder of my free spirit. Now I had a rough idea but didn’t know how to go about it. So I reached out to an artist to help me with the visualization of some of these elements.

The result is an oriental painting with a dolphin and a bookmark. The moment I saw it, my eyes glowed. This was it. This defined me. The jumping dolphin represented the spirit in me that enjoyed life outside of my comfort zone. The bookmark was a reminder of this spirit to return to.

I imagined life on the other side of a tattoo would be absolutely different.

I’d think that I would look cool if not feel cool.

But more than half of the time, I don’t even remember that I am inked and that’s the biggest irony.

And this would usually lead to looking out for your second tattoo. Clearly, a trap. A thought from the highs of having your first tattoo.

This time though, I would go simple. A leaf perhaps. On my right ankle.

To root me. Or as a plea to the breeze to take me with her.