A year ago today, I was tattooed for the very first time... something that I still can't believe I actually did, even when I look down at my foot. I'm pretty selective when it comes to pretty much everything, so the fact that I even went through with this says something about its meaning. As I've mentioned before, we lost my mom to cancer when I was a little girl. She loved a poem by Pulitzer-winning poet Gary Snyder, and when she passed away, my dad made sure the final line was engraved on her gravestone. Everything I know about my mom and the way she lived her life is reflected in it: "Laughing on the Great Earth."
From all appearances, I'm not the type of girl that you'd expect would have a tattoo. While I'm creative, I'm definitely more Charlotte York than Kat Von D. ;) Nonetheless, the seed for this tattoo had been planted years ago, but I suddenly got the courage to actually go ahead with it last summer.
I began researching typefaces, and played with placement for about a month. I decided on the lower part of my left foot, choosing a place that was both elegant and inconspicuous. I chose 'English' for the typeface, a classic script that I frequently use in this blog. Both the font and placement were really, really important to me, as I wanted it to be understated and feminine.
I remember being so nervous as I tried to stomach a pre-tattoo brunch with my oldest friend, Meghann. I had heard that the pain was especially rough on the foot, but it didn't matter at that point. My mind was made up. Going to be totally honest here... getting this tattoo wasn't fun. It hurt. A lot. That part of your foot is literally skin and bones, and I definitely remember having the brief impulse of running out with "laughing" on my foot. (Ohhh, the irony in that. haha.)
I had tears in my eyes pretty much the entire time, but I couldn't have been more happy when it was all over. It was beautiful. It was feminine. And it meant so, so much to me.
With every step I take, I have a reminder of someone that is still very much a part of me,
and who inspired me to live my life to the fullest.
I began researching typefaces, and played with placement for about a month. I decided on the lower part of my left foot, choosing a place that was both elegant and inconspicuous. I chose 'English' for the typeface, a classic script that I frequently use in this blog. Both the font and placement were really, really important to me, as I wanted it to be understated and feminine.
I remember being so nervous as I tried to stomach a pre-tattoo brunch with my oldest friend, Meghann. I had heard that the pain was especially rough on the foot, but it didn't matter at that point. My mind was made up. Going to be totally honest here... getting this tattoo wasn't fun. It hurt. A lot. That part of your foot is literally skin and bones, and I definitely remember having the brief impulse of running out with "laughing" on my foot. (Ohhh, the irony in that. haha.)
I had tears in my eyes pretty much the entire time, but I couldn't have been more happy when it was all over. It was beautiful. It was feminine. And it meant so, so much to me.
With every step I take, I have a reminder of someone that is still very much a part of me,
and who inspired me to live my life to the fullest.
xx
