#21. Get a New Tattoo.

It’s true what they say, tattoos are addicting. I’m currently at 6 dreaming of number 7. While in Vancouver we were talking about tattoos and what we are interested in getting. Fast forward to walking down Commercial Drive highly caffeinated, seeing a shop and ending up on the table within an hour. It all worked out perfectly – the address was 1111 (a number I see frequently), the store used to be a yoga studio and the prayer flags were a welcoming sign. I ended up getting two done in the one session as it was a fixed rate based on time – so I decided why not get the most bang for my buck.

I’ve been wanting to cover up the scar on my wrist for a long time now. I shouldn’t say “cover up” as the tattoo matches the lines of the scar. This was a scar from emotional trauma when I didn’t have proper coping tools. I was reminded of this pain every time I looked at my scar. It was a wound I was embarrassed to have. The actual tattoo doesn’t really have a meaning – it’s just two simple lines intersecting. It’s quite entertaining to see how people interpret the tattoo. For me it’s a reminder of how far I’ve come. That I can be both strong and vulnerable at the same time. After all scars are stories, little bits of our own history written on our body – just like a tattoo.

The second one wasn’t planned at all. I frantically went on Pinterest though my tattoo boards to see if anything stood out that I was ready for that day. I’ve been keen on a lotus flower for quite some time – a mantra I use often is no mud, no lotus. I had also been drawn to unalome energy lines. The unalome symbolizes the twists and the turns and the highs and lows followed by a smooth straight line as we walk the path to enlightenment. The artist and I put a few things together and this is what we came up with. The craziest part about it is my friend Rose came to the shop just as the design was getting finalized and she shows me a lotus unalome - basically what we just planned out - saying she thinks I should get that! Clearly, it was meant to be. I hopped on the table and 45 mins later was feeling pretty damn good.

Over all this was an amazing experience I got to share with close friends - both Cedar and Stacy got tattoos at the same time as well. I also will never forget the experience as it’s a part of me till the day I die (or loose a limb).