No. That is not fake.
Two days ago, a very dear friend and I traveled to Sioux City and got our bodies permanently inked. Here is my explanation:
When I was younger and I heard the word tattoo, my mind would instantly dance to the kind that came on gum wrappers or the kind in the grocery store that you would beg mom to have a quarter to buy.
Cheap.
Little to no meaning behind it.
Temporary.
As I grew older and learned what a REAL tattoo was, I was shocked. I was confused as to why someone would allow a needle to poke you repeatedly as it etched a picture into your skin. It sounded like a cruel form of torture.
Expensive.
A big commitment.
Forever.
In high school I began viewing tattoos differently. I chose a bunch of pretty much meaningless pictures of the internet and put them in a folder titled 'Tattoos!!'. I wasn't ever really sure if I would get one, but it is fun to collect things.
Shells. Stamps. Rocks.
You get the point.
This summer I was thinking a little more seriously about getting a tattoo. I went through a couple of ideas and I had really reached a dead end. One day, as I was just about to close my laptop in despair, my eyes landed upon a picture of a swallow tattooed behind a woman's ear. It looked so graceful, so vibrant. A splash of color on the ivory canvas of her skin. I was hooked.
I started to do some research on the history of swallow tattoos. The wheels in my head started turning and I knew.
This was my tattoo.
The actual tattoo took about an hour each. I cried like a baby. Ouch. They say the foot is one of the most painful places to get a tattoo...but honestly, I probably would have cried wherever they put it. I never claimed to be tough.
I walked (err..limped) out of the tattoo parlor drained and quite a bit poorer...but at peace. Content. I was happy with my choice.
A swallow tattoo is signifies a journey behind you. An achievement. My research revealed that sailors would get a swallow tattooed on their chest when they had sailed 5,000 nautical miles.
I had reached my '5,000 miles' point in my life. I look back on these last eighteen years, and I am happy at where I am at today. From moving to Iowa from Colorado to my ups and downs of high school, it has definitely been a journey. I look back to what God has done in my life. His faithfulness through my weaknesses. His love as I failed him time and time again. He has blessed me with a beautiful family, irreplaceable friends, and His provision of my every need. I smile as I look back on my life, as I replay conversations in my head, as I recall the first time I really understood the reality of what Christ has done for us. There are no words for that.
This tattoo represents this turning point in my life as I make the transition to college. It represents not only my past, but also my future.
A swallow tattoo was a comfort to sailors because it represented home. A swallow was typically the first bird that they would see when shore was approaching. This is significant to me. Even though I am leaving home, I pray that I never get too caught up in my new life that I forget about the ones that shaped me into the one I am today. Even though my parents aren't too thrilled about his new addition to my body...I got this tattoo for them too.
It wasn't an act of rebellion. I didn't get it to make my foot look 'hot'. (Is that even possible? Feet are gross.) I know not everyone are into tattoos and I respect that. I'm not trying to impress anyone with it.
I got it for me. It will walk with me wherever life takes me.
It is a reminder to slow down and breathe.
A reminder to call mom and dad to let them how much I love them.
To look back on what God has overcome and what He will continue to triumph over.
Two days ago, a very dear friend and I traveled to Sioux City and got our bodies permanently inked. Here is my explanation:
When I was younger and I heard the word tattoo, my mind would instantly dance to the kind that came on gum wrappers or the kind in the grocery store that you would beg mom to have a quarter to buy.
Cheap.
Little to no meaning behind it.
Temporary.
As I grew older and learned what a REAL tattoo was, I was shocked. I was confused as to why someone would allow a needle to poke you repeatedly as it etched a picture into your skin. It sounded like a cruel form of torture.
Expensive.
A big commitment.
Forever.
In high school I began viewing tattoos differently. I chose a bunch of pretty much meaningless pictures of the internet and put them in a folder titled 'Tattoos!!'. I wasn't ever really sure if I would get one, but it is fun to collect things.
Shells. Stamps. Rocks.
You get the point.
This summer I was thinking a little more seriously about getting a tattoo. I went through a couple of ideas and I had really reached a dead end. One day, as I was just about to close my laptop in despair, my eyes landed upon a picture of a swallow tattooed behind a woman's ear. It looked so graceful, so vibrant. A splash of color on the ivory canvas of her skin. I was hooked.
I started to do some research on the history of swallow tattoos. The wheels in my head started turning and I knew.
This was my tattoo.
The actual tattoo took about an hour each. I cried like a baby. Ouch. They say the foot is one of the most painful places to get a tattoo...but honestly, I probably would have cried wherever they put it. I never claimed to be tough.
I walked (err..limped) out of the tattoo parlor drained and quite a bit poorer...but at peace. Content. I was happy with my choice.
A swallow tattoo is signifies a journey behind you. An achievement. My research revealed that sailors would get a swallow tattooed on their chest when they had sailed 5,000 nautical miles.
I had reached my '5,000 miles' point in my life. I look back on these last eighteen years, and I am happy at where I am at today. From moving to Iowa from Colorado to my ups and downs of high school, it has definitely been a journey. I look back to what God has done in my life. His faithfulness through my weaknesses. His love as I failed him time and time again. He has blessed me with a beautiful family, irreplaceable friends, and His provision of my every need. I smile as I look back on my life, as I replay conversations in my head, as I recall the first time I really understood the reality of what Christ has done for us. There are no words for that.
This tattoo represents this turning point in my life as I make the transition to college. It represents not only my past, but also my future.
A swallow tattoo was a comfort to sailors because it represented home. A swallow was typically the first bird that they would see when shore was approaching. This is significant to me. Even though I am leaving home, I pray that I never get too caught up in my new life that I forget about the ones that shaped me into the one I am today. Even though my parents aren't too thrilled about his new addition to my body...I got this tattoo for them too.
It wasn't an act of rebellion. I didn't get it to make my foot look 'hot'. (Is that even possible? Feet are gross.) I know not everyone are into tattoos and I respect that. I'm not trying to impress anyone with it.
I got it for me. It will walk with me wherever life takes me.
It is a reminder to slow down and breathe.
A reminder to call mom and dad to let them how much I love them.
To look back on what God has overcome and what He will continue to triumph over.
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