When I was 16 I REALLY wanted a tattoo. Really. A lot. But when my mom asked me what I wanted – I was always at a loss. I could never come up with something that I knew I’d be okay with at 90, or in a place that wouldn’t sag or droop or just look ridiculous all stretched out. That and I really detest needles and pain.
My friend Katy has a few tattoos (Eric has one too) but nothing ever grabbed me. Then Katy explained what each of her tattoos meant and why she got them. She also described a tattoo as a symbol of a significant event or to bookmark an important chapter of your life.
This year has been an incredible one. And I know that even at 90, I’m still going to be proud of losing weight, running marathons, and doing all kinds of things I never thought I would. And now I can add getting a tattoo to that list! (By the way – it hurts like CRAZY! Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s “no big deal” it hurts! It was really all I could do not to kick the guy in the head with my other leg!) I have to admit – I was a complete pansy for the first 20 minutes or so. I sat up to watch as he added color and the distraction of watching him (and my leg kind of going numb) eased the pain a bit – but it still wasn’t pleasant. You really have to want one to sit through that!
And you really need a strong hand to squeeze!! Luckily, Katy was my hand and she was very good at distracting me with all kinds of stories! Hopefully the feeling has returned to her fingers…..
Originally, I thought about getting a running man, since running has been the catalyst for so much of my growth this past year. And I knew I wanted to incorporate the 13.1 and the 26.2 marathon distances somehow. Then I thought of the journey as a whole and perhaps a tattoo that had the running man down a path – but there wasn’t just one thing that really stuck with me. Running has been the starting point, yes, but its the weight loss, the learning to make new friends, trying new things, not being afraid of failure, having energy and gaining strength in so many areas that I never knew I had, or thought I had lost.
While considering all this change, I began to wonder what animal goes through a complete transformation?
A caterpillar.
It goes through a metamorphosis and becomes a butterfly.
And essentially that is what I feel like.
And as a friend of mine put it – “Dang girl! Spread your wings and fly!”
And that is just what I intend to do!
Lori's Life and Other Stuff 
Reblogged this on Lori's Life and Other Stuff and commented:
The Daily prompt was to discuss tattoos…..here’s my tat story!
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