The Pain of Getting a Tattoo

It's Not Just Art

Tattoos are an art form, and it takes a great deal of artistic talent to create a detailed well designed tattoo. I used to be one of those people with preconceived notions about tattoos and the types of people who had them. I was totally against tattoos, and I didn't think I'd ever have one - until I met my husband. My husband has several tattoos, and for the first time in my life, I realized the artistic value and deep emotional expression of quality tattoo art. I decided to get a ring of forget-me-not flowers around my ankle, and my reasons for getting that particular tattoo weren't merely cosmetic. I chose to get that tattoo at one of the lowest points in my life, and its significance is much more than skin-deep.

Choosing a Tattoo

When I made the decision to get a tattoo, I didn't take that decision lightly, and since tattoos are permanent, I realized I had one chance to make the right choice. Some of the best times of my life were spent in the upper peninsula of Michigan, and I loved the tiny blue blooms with bright yellow centers known as forget-me-not flowers that grow along the banks of rivers and lakes. I decided I wanted to have them forever adorning my ankle. Forget-me-not flowers seemed like the perfect choice, especially since they were a symbol of better times, and at this particular time in my life, in some ways I was feeling about as low as humanly possible.

Although I had recently met a man who seemed to truly love me inside as well as out, I was still hurting from being taken advantage of by someone I had considered a friend. This person was someone I had tried to help, but instead of repaying me with kindness and simply repaying me, he took advantage of my kindness and threw me away like an old shoe. He stomped on my heart, emptied my credit card account, and ultimately got away with theft. In a time span of two years I had seen more dishonesty and greediness than I have seen in my entire life, but I didn't let it completely break my spirit.