“You’re defacing your body.”

 “You want that to show in your pictures, are you really sure??”

 “You know those are permanent right?”

 “You’re going to regret it. I regret mine and I’m still married to the woman so I know.”

I’ve heard all of those things and more when I wear a tank top or dress. Why? Well on my left shoulder is a piece of artwork. Its colors represent the blues and whites, purples, and greens of the ocean. The scroll has three letters, MPD, on it. The shape? Well it’s a tear.

I have a tattoo and no, despite the comments, I do not regret it. I won’t regret it. I also am quite aware it’s permanent, which is why it took me almost 2 years from the day I had a design in mind to the day it was done to get one. I wanted to be REALLY sure. As for defacing my body, I’ll just go with the theory that everyone has different beliefs and that particular one is between me and God. Oh and as for my tattoo showing – um yea its fine. It’s a part of me.

So many people see tattoos and think its some dumb teenage / college student move. A lot of them probably are, but for other people those tattoos have meaning. We so often preach understanding, respect, and more but then someone with a tattoo walks by and those values go out the window.

A woman with a tattoo on her lower back has a “tramp stamp.” A muscled man with barbed wire on his arm and who has a motorcycle is likely a “biker dude.”

On the other hand perhaps they are like me, with a tattoo that represents something highly personal that they fully intended to carry the rest of their days. The one statement that bugs me the most is when people ask me if I’m aware that my design is permanent. That statement comes before any other, even before asking me what it means. Luckily I have a quick way to shut those people up.

Yes, it is permanent and so is the death of the brother it represents. I’ll get it removed when you figure out how to bring him back.

Abrupt? Yes. But I’m more than happy to explain that every single aspect of the tattoo has a purpose if you just ask. The colors represent the ocean which my brother loved. The shape, a celtic tear, is just that. A tear – I miss him, I still cry some days and nights and its been 6 years. The ribbon, well its identical to the one on his gravestone and also the common element in the tattoos my mother, father, and brother also have. It’s the link that binds our designs just as Matthew was a link to each of us. Oh and the MPD? Well, despite the general guess of a police department, those are his initials.

Next time you see a tattoo – see what you can find out. You’ll find most people with them LOVE to explain the meaning because they do have meanings.

What are your thoughts on tattoos, would you ever get one? Or do you already have one and why?