Ever since we’ve had children, I’ve wanted to get a tattoo to symbolize them in some way. I thought maybe I’d find a cool way to intertwine their initials, or something like that, but nothing ever stuck with me or jumped out at me as exactly the right design. And that’s the thing with a tattoo, for me at least – it has to be absolutely beyond perfect, leaving no doubt in my mind whatsoever that I really, really want it on my body forever.
Two weeks ago, it finally came to me.
I don’t know why, but every time I thought of what represented the kids best, sea turtles came to mind. A while ago, I had envisioned tiny little sea turtles wrapping around the inside of my left wrist. But they would’ve had to be super duper tiny so as not to be massively obvious, then I wouldn’t be able to incorporate their initials very well, yadda yadda yadda.
So then I decided on my left side, right in the middle of my side, so they’re kind of swimming up toward my heart. Bingo. Plus, Ryan said he didn’t like wrist tattoos at all, so that helped solidify that positioning. I actually went to the tattoo shop a friend recommended a couple Saturdays ago to get it done, but they didn’t have time for me right then, so I went to another shop that also didn’t have time when I walked in but said they’d call me back later that afternoon. I got a much better vibe from the second place, plus I found a penny on the ground outside the door when I left, so I called back that night to make an appointment for the following Wednesday.
It ended up working out for the best that my original plan of attack to get the tattoo didn’t pan out, because that night I had time to draw exactly what I wanted instead of just going in with a rough idea; the girls got to pick the color they wanted for each of the flowers by their initials; the tattoo artist with whom I ended up getting the appointment did an amazing job putting my sketches together and bringing them to life; I found another penny at the shop right before I got the tattoo; and the artist made the final tattoo look better than I could even imagine.
I just love it. It makes me happy every time I look at it. These 3 kids are my absolute heart and soul, which makes this tattoo so meaningful.
I’ve been having a lot of status envy lately, which I know is stupid and an unnecessary waste of worry, but I can’t help it. Sometimes I just get stuck. We’re surrounded by so many incredible things and places, it’s kind of hard not to sometimes. Seeing my beautiful tattoo and realizing how truly happy I am helps me snap out of it.
We don’t have a lot of money, we don’t live in a big giant house, we don’t drive fancy cars (Tesla is apparently the new expensive car of choice around here, by the way), we don’t go on exotic vacations all over the world. But these kids and the family we’ve created and our wonderful web of family, friends, and neighbors and the unbelievable community in which we live bring happiness that can never be measured with a price tag. And although I’ve been without a salary for over 4 years now, we’re making it work, something we never thought was possible before it actually happened. Plus, now when I do work, I get to do it in my home while our children play and sleep. Also priceless.
So thank you, little sea turtles. Not only are you exactly what I wanted for my tattoo, you are also a permanent reminder of happiness.