I permanently branded myself with three small words on the inside of my foot. Countless people told me I would regret getting a tattoo or that I could never get a good job because of it. When I hear these argument now, I just laugh.

At 18 years old, I decided to get my tattoo. It was not a drunk decision, impulsive act, or a lost bet. It was something I had thought through completely and knew I would love for the rest of my life. So, before you judge me, ask me about the meaning behind it.

On October 27th, 2015 my father passed away. As a senior in high school, I was experiencing something most people my age could not even fathom. It was by far the most painful time of my life. A few weeks before my 18th birthday I was going through a box of cards he had written me over the years. Written at the bottom of every card were three small words, "All my love". Through teary eyes and a full heart, I decided these three words would be my first tattoo.

I wanted to wait until the one year mark of him passing away to get the tattoo. So on October 27, 2016 I walked into a tattoo parlor with the card in hand. They copied the three words in my dad's handwriting onto a stencil and onto my foot. The entire process was maybe a 3 out of 10 on the pain scale and took less than ten minutes. The mark it left on me far outweighed any amount of pain it could have ever produced.

Tattoos definitely are not for everyone, but I am absolutely in love with mine. So before you judge me, try asking me the meaning behind it and watch me light up talking about it. I doubt anyone would ever tell me I will regret it after getting to know the story behind it.