Getting my tattoo two summers ago was not a decision I took lightly. I had known for a while that I wanted one, but couldn't decide what to get for a long time (ah, the foibles of being an indecisive person). But it eventually came to me like a gust of wind I should have seen coming. I knew what I wanted permanently etched onto my skin: a tiny, minimalist sun behind my left ear. My reasoning for this particular tattoo is long and extremely personal, so I won't go into the specific details, but the main point of my little sun tattoo is to remind me that no matter how cloudy and dark the world may seem at times, there will always be another day to look forward to. So, without further ado, here is why I, and you if you have one, should never regret your tattoo(s).
1. Sharing it with others.
This one never gets old. Most people, in my experience, have a Phoebe/Rachel reaction when they see my tattoo. It's exciting, and sharing that excitement with others is always fun. And if people don't like my tattoo...well, that's their opinion, and they're entitled to it, but that will never change my opinion of it.
2. The experience empowered me.
Let's be real: I sort of felt like Queen Bey after I got my tattoo. There is something so empowering about definitively choosing to permanently mark your body with a word or image that means something to you.
3. It was a good investment.
I will never regret spending my money on my tattoo rather than buying something from a department store. Treating myself to a beautiful tattoo and having that experience both mean so much more to me than any material item I could have bought.
4. It was a decision I made on my own.
My parents actually didn't want me to get a tattoo at first; in fact, they were adamantly against the idea. It took me years and years to slowly convince them to get them to warm up to it. But regardless, I was eighteen when I got my tattoo, so, like Ron Swanson, I could and did do what I wanted to. In many ways, my decision to get my tattoo was my first solo adult decision.
5. Tattoos are works of art.
We are born into this world as blank canvases. What we choose to do with our skin, with our bodies, isn't always up to us; we have scars and bruises and freckles from the sun. But a tattoo, an intentional, lifelong contribution to your skin, is a work of art that becomes a part of you. Along with those scars and bruises, you get some actual control over your body as it changes over time. You don't have to be a blank canvas if you don't want to be. Tattoos are beautiful, and I will never regret mine.
