Now, this woman is not a teenager. She's a grown woman with adult children, and she runs a successful business. She's also really cool, uniquely beautiful, and one of the freest spirits I've ever met.
When I asked her how she could mark up her body so casually and so permanently, she said, "Oh, but you misunderstand: It's not permanent! It's temporary."
Confused, I asked, "You mean, all your tattoos are temporary?"
She smiled like a sexy rock 'n roll Buddha and said, "No, honey. My tattoos are permanent — it's my BODY that's temporary. And so is yours. We're here on earth for a very short while. I just want to decorate my temporary self as playfully and beautifully as I can, while I still have time."
I love this so much, I can't even tell you.
I myself am not covered with tattoos. (Although I do have two of them. Before I went traveling for Eat, Pray, Love, I had two words written into my forearms in white ink: COURAGE and COMPASSION.) But I do want to live the most vividly decorated temporary life I can. I don't just mean physically. I mean emotionally, spiritual, intellectually. I don't want to be afraid of bright colors, or big love, or major decisions, or new experiences, or risky creative endeavors, or sudden changes, or even great failure.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
My first tattoo was 2 years ago, so I was 35 and it is in honor of my best friend Steff. I now have most of my back covered in tattoos, my tattoos that are my story.
Just days before Steff passed away, she sent me a message of the image here. It was from an instagram account owned https://trustyourjourney.com/
Their logo is a heart with the fibonacci circle (or golden mean) inside the heart. The Fibonacci circle is based on a whole number equivalent of the arithmetically impossible Golden Mean spiral, which has no start or finish, while the the Fibonacci spiral has an obvious beginning. I didn't take note of the logo until Midwest Transplant's social worker gave us bracelets for organ donation. https://www.mwtn.org/ And on the bracelets I saw the fibonacci circle again. My last message from Steff holds the same circle as the Donate Life logo. Steff's donation of her organs was a gift from a wonderful beginning full of love and to which there is no end! I have worn two to the donate life bracelets every day since the social worker gave them to us. They are two different shades of green so I have one of each.
The fibonacci circle grew great meaning to me and to many others as it has continued to show up in meaningful ways. So for my first tattoo myself and two more of Steff's friends got the fibonacci circle tattoo. I had it done in between my shoulders on my back because Steff and I both love the way a females back muscles look and I knew this was the beginning of a journey.
In the last year I have added many more tattoos as my story has been added to as well. My first addition was when my ex-husband and I separated. I added lilly of the valley flower around my circle with a sprig of lavender (Steff and I's favorite scent) and a butterfly coming into land on the flower. Lilly of the valley is my birth month flower and means "the return of happiness". As a child my siblings ate the little white flowers, which are poisonous, and had to have their stomachs pumped. My poor mother has 5 very active strong willed children. This addition was for my return to a happiness from my childhood and the butterfly is Steff looking over me. She loves butterflies.
When my divorce was finalized and I returned to using my maiden name of Peace I added the Peace Sign with the man on the moon. Obviously this was for a new beginning as well and my name. The man on the moon is who I often talk to and ask him to look over me. I follow the moon cycles and believe they have significant power as well.
And my most recent addition is the Phoenix and three stars around the moon.
The last two years have been full of many transitions for myself. The loss of my best friend and my divorce have tested my strength. I have had days that I felt stuck in the ashes of sadness and lost wandering in hopelessness. I am fortunate to be surrounded by amazing family and friends.
At the top of that list are my 3 girls, my 3 stars that I love to the moon and (my) BACK!
Of my own will, within my own flames, from the ashes, STILL I RISE! Trust your Journey and write your own story! My story continues in a week...any guesses on what ink comes next?
