He was right. I've added six tattoos to my collection since then, each in a different place (geographically, I mean; they're all on my back), representing a different stage of my life. (2001: Edinburgh, 2004: Tokyo, 2005: New York, 2005: Auckland, 2007: New York, 2012: New York.) Eventually there will be a seventh. I know what it will be, and where, and by whom; it's just a question of putting those pieces together -- and, of course, moving on to another stage and marking the occasion.
For some people, I assume, tattoos are a form of art, expression, or fashion. They're worn decoratively. For me, well, unless we go swimming together you'd never know I had any. My tattoos are just that: mine.
People without tattoos commonly make three objections to getting one: they hurt; there's no design they'd want for that long; they're permanent. To which I say: yes; that's not the point; that is.
I put thought into each of my tattoos, and I chose each design for a reason. I still like all of them, but the one I chose in 1999 isn't something I'd choose in 2015. I've changed. And the tattoos remind me, in a way nothing else can, of what those changes are.
Once upon a very specific time, I was a person who chose to be tattooed with a tree, wings, leaves, words... I am not that person now. At no point along the way was I ever that person again. But looking at the tree, the wings, the leaves, the words, takes me back to what it meant to be the person who chose them.
Tattoos are permanent? You're damn right they are. Own who you are, and the growing up it took to get there.
And since I've had several people ask for recommendations, here are some good shops in NY: MAP.
RECIPE: Three-Ingredient Energy Bars. I keep some version of these in my desk at all times.
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