As you turn 18, you are presented with new responsibilities: being able to vote, having no restrictions on your driver's license, being able to leave the country without a guardian... the list goes on.

One thing that I decided to do when I turned 18 was to get a tattoo. Now, most people think that tattoos are a bad idea. They're permanent, you'll regret it in thirty years, you can't put a meaningless phrase or picture on your body. However, mine is something that I can take with me throughout my life. It's only two words, but those two words mean a lot.

Stay strong.

Two words that mean more than anyone can know. Written in my mom's handwriting, it is a way for me to always have her close to me, even when we're apart. The meaning of these two seemingly simple words is infinite. When I was younger, I was bullied in school for a few years and put down in the sports that I play. I wasn't good enough, fast enough, smart enough. As this continued, my self-esteem plummeted, and to this day, I still have self-confidence issues that haven't been fixed.

Three summers ago, I lost my grandma to pancreatic cancer. At the time, my parents kept me in the dark, and didn't tell us that she was sick. When I went to see her in the beginning of that summer, I had a feeling it would be the last time I would see her, but the thought of that hurt more than I could bear.

We were very close, spending every Christmas at her house, learning how to blow bubbles in the bath, and watching new movies together. Less than a year later I lost my Uncle, my dad's brother, to mental illness. I didn't know that people so close to me could be a victim of this.

I felt like I could've done something more, and suddenly, mental illness became all the more real to me. I have struggled with this since it happened, feeling sad at times that I know I shouldn't be sad.

All of these experiences have made me who I am today. Overcoming obstacles throughout my life, though they may not seem big to others, they have permanently made their mark on my life. My experiences have helped me understand the world better, and understand myself better. I have been knocked down, but I have gotten up stronger each time.

This permanent mark on my body is more than just a mark. I can look back in 10, 20, or 30 years and not regret the two important words that I marked on my ribs.

Every day, when I look in the mirror Ican remind myself to stay strong.

** These are only a couple experiences that have prompted me to get my tattoo.