Epiphanies and Ink
Tonight I had an epiphany. No, not that pink cocktail drink down at the bar, a moment of inspirational evaluation and self growth. While I sat in a chair with a woman poking me with a needle repeatedly and injecting ink into my skin I had some time to do some thinking. Really there is nothing else to do while enduring the pain of a lasting mark except think about life and what exactly brought you to the point that you are at. I realized that getting a tattoo can be equated to what is endured as we go through life.
Both getting a tattoo and living life involve the process of enduring long periods of uncomfortable time followed by brief respites that seem way too short before the annoyances once again begin. Both leave you feeling raw…yet changed and somehow different. Tattoos leave the changes on the outside, where as life experiences change you from the inside. Many people think that you get used to it (both life and the hyper fast needle pounding ink into flesh) and soon get numb after a while, but that is untrue. Getting used to it takes away from the experience, and anything that is lasting (like a new tattoo or an emotion) involves enduring the bad to get to the good.
Sometimes you think you’ve had enough and you feel like you just want to give up, but then you clench your teeth, dip into your reserves of strength and make it through the next wave. And somewhere in the middle, of either that new phoenix tattoo or getting a divorce, you realize what your character is made of and that in the end something good will come from it.
Mistakes are also made in both endeavors. Getting “I Love the Cocks” tattooed on your butt just because you like the University of South Carolina is a bad mistake. Getting drunk and thrown in jail is a bad mistake in itself…but then you realize the tattoo mistake in all its glory when you have to take a shower with Big Ted. Yet, those mistakes help you learn. You learn not to get the Detroit Institute of Cutlery and Knives call letters (D.I.C.K.) tattooed on you. It’s not a smart investment in the long run.
There are a lot of people who scoff at tattoos and say that getting one is a stupid move in itself, but I have to disagree. Tattoos can be like scars. They can tell a story or serve as reminders of life lessons if they are chosen wisely and for sound reasons. They can also be garish and over the top if they are gotten for the wrong reasons (like that drunken night in Cabo). Such is Life as well. Life can be painful and seem pointless at times, but if something is learned then the pain seems worthwhile in the end.
So what did I learn tonight, besides seeing how white my knuckles will turn if I squeeze hard enough? I came to understand that in life we don’t always see what is coming, or like where it leads. Life has a nasty curveball when you are expecting a nice breaking ball to come your way. But to better yourself from those strikeouts is the only way to get through the game without throwing in the towel. (How did I get on baseball?) Tattoos are much the same way (No…don’t get a tattoo of a baseball). Getting a tattoo, for all the pain that is endured and blood that is shed, is worth it in the end if you choose wisely and have good reasons behind it.
Both getting a tattoo and living life involve the process of enduring long periods of uncomfortable time followed by brief respites that seem way too short before the annoyances once again begin. Both leave you feeling raw…yet changed and somehow different. Tattoos leave the changes on the outside, where as life experiences change you from the inside. Many people think that you get used to it (both life and the hyper fast needle pounding ink into flesh) and soon get numb after a while, but that is untrue. Getting used to it takes away from the experience, and anything that is lasting (like a new tattoo or an emotion) involves enduring the bad to get to the good.
Sometimes you think you’ve had enough and you feel like you just want to give up, but then you clench your teeth, dip into your reserves of strength and make it through the next wave. And somewhere in the middle, of either that new phoenix tattoo or getting a divorce, you realize what your character is made of and that in the end something good will come from it.
Mistakes are also made in both endeavors. Getting “I Love the Cocks” tattooed on your butt just because you like the University of South Carolina is a bad mistake. Getting drunk and thrown in jail is a bad mistake in itself…but then you realize the tattoo mistake in all its glory when you have to take a shower with Big Ted. Yet, those mistakes help you learn. You learn not to get the Detroit Institute of Cutlery and Knives call letters (D.I.C.K.) tattooed on you. It’s not a smart investment in the long run.
There are a lot of people who scoff at tattoos and say that getting one is a stupid move in itself, but I have to disagree. Tattoos can be like scars. They can tell a story or serve as reminders of life lessons if they are chosen wisely and for sound reasons. They can also be garish and over the top if they are gotten for the wrong reasons (like that drunken night in Cabo). Such is Life as well. Life can be painful and seem pointless at times, but if something is learned then the pain seems worthwhile in the end.
So what did I learn tonight, besides seeing how white my knuckles will turn if I squeeze hard enough? I came to understand that in life we don’t always see what is coming, or like where it leads. Life has a nasty curveball when you are expecting a nice breaking ball to come your way. But to better yourself from those strikeouts is the only way to get through the game without throwing in the towel. (How did I get on baseball?) Tattoos are much the same way (No…don’t get a tattoo of a baseball). Getting a tattoo, for all the pain that is endured and blood that is shed, is worth it in the end if you choose wisely and have good reasons behind it.
posted by Burning Stickman at 8:45 PM
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