I like tattoos for many reasons. My parents didn’t have any. My godfather had one he regretted and my estranged older brother is covered with them. Does that have any significant influence on me? I don’t know.

I have one tattoo running down the inside of my forearm. It’s script and it’s a quote I came up with a long time ago. Essentially, it’s the moment when I realized my purpose in life. It took me several years of thought before I got it. It reminds me not to give up and to continue writing. And of course, it’s in German. It doesn’t get better than that (I felt like a lot of people had quotes in French or Chinese so I, being the unorthodox person I am, went with German). It translates to: I exist to inspire the uninspired.

So I’m writing this post because I am thinking about getting another one. I don’t know what to get yet but I guess I’ll know in a couple of years. I know I want more script though.

Then the thoughts of a lot of people I had heard from in the past came to mind regarding tattoos.

I think what is considered socially acceptable changes throughout time. I got plenty of weird looks walking around with either pink or teal colored hair. Nowadays, people wouldn’t even bat an eye … even at the mall.

Tattoos go way back in time and have a mix of both negative and positive connotations. I see them as a form of self-expression and the decorating of one’s temple. Now, not all people feel the same way but I’m an open-minded individual and my tattoo means a lot to me. When I’m feeling down or lost, my tattoo reminds me to not give up and to continue living life.

I don’t think tattoos are trashy or that they are a blemish. We should be celebrating everyone’s uniqueness and not judge everyone based on superficial things. Unfortunately, this does occur and somehow, we have to learn to live in the middle until society finds something to be socially acceptable that once was not.

Some people have their hobbies, their loved ones, or their religion to remind them the possibilities of life. I have some of the above but my daily reminder is my tattoo.