[Bucket list Item #10]: Get a small meaningful tattoo.

Tattoos. They are something that stays permanently on your body. Forever. It’s kind of a big commitment. I have never had the strong desire to get tatted up all over my body or to even get a handful of them; it just simply wasn’t my style. Some people can pull off that look effortlessly, but I am pretty sure that I wouldn’t be one of those people. A few years ago I started making a bucket list of things that I would want to accomplish before my time on this amazing earth is over. One of the items on my list is ‘to get a small, meaningful tattoo’. I had originally put it on the bucket list on a whim, and didn’t really think that it would ever be accomplished. If you know me pretty well you know that I don’t do well with needles. For example, every time I get blood drawn at the doctor I have to have them use the butterfly needles (the ones they use on small children) and just pray that I don’t pass out. Call me a wimp or a baby if you want, that’s just the way I am I guess. So with all this being said, in order to get a tattoo they use needles, so it was going to be very interesting to see how this would work out.

This was my original drawing. 

I knew when I put this item on my bucket list that if I were ever to get a tattoo it would be of a peace sign, a heart and a cross. It would be small and be located on my left wrist. A lot of people wonder and ask ‘why are you having those three symbols tattooed on you? What do they mean? Peace, love and Jesus?’ And yeah, that’s exactly what it means. Three of my favorite things; peace, love and Jesus. Back in high school I got really into writing letters and having pen pals. At first when I started I would just sign the letters ‘Love, Jenny’. It was very plain, very simple and got the point across. One day I received a letter from a friend and she had signed it with a heart and a cross that were intertwined. I thought it was a very neat way of leaving your mark. From that point on I decided to create my own signature that would leave my mark. In doing that I decided upon the peace sign, heart and cross. Still simple, but with deep meaning and power behind it. Ever since then I have been signing letters, cards, and autographs (Just kidding. I’m not that famous. Yet.).

The process and the finished product. 

A few friends and I had planned on getting tattoos at the end of the summer once camp was over and everything. As the date approached closer and closer I could feel my anxiety increasing. I wasn’t sure that I would actually follow through with it until I signed into the tattoo parlor and submitted the down payment. There were four of us getting tattoos that day. Each one was different and each was unique in its own way. I was the last one to get it done and by that point I had already understood the process and my nerves were calming down. I had submitted a drawing of what I wanted it to look like and then the artist took my drawing and sketched it out again.  After you approve the drawing they put it on this special kind of paper that turns into a temporary tattoo. They then take that paper and place it on the part of your body where you want the tattoo so they can make sure the spacing and size is acceptable. The artist got mine on the first try and I liked how it looked, so she then went ahead and started tracing it with the needle. The whole process took about 15-20 minutes, but boy did it feel like a longer time than that. The pain was tolerable but with me being a wimp, it did hurt a bit. After she was all done I couldn’t believe that it was actually finished. I was able to have a quick look before it got bandaged up for healing. As the bandage was being taped onto my skin I just felt this huge wave of relief knowing that I did it and I’m still here to tell the story.

I can say for a fact that I am very pleased with how it all turned out. The experience was an interesting one, but I wouldn’t change it in any way. I’m not sure if I would get another tattoo, but I very much appreciate mine that I have now.