I never thought about getting a tattoo before…
But after my divorce, I felt this bizarre urge to get one.
My life was changing, and I felt compelled to document it.
I called up a local tattoo parlour to book myself in.
They told me it would be a 3 month wait (to make sure I was certain I wanted one).
Well, 2 hours later, my phone rang again.
Apparently they’d had a cancellation, and could see me right away. Funny that, isn’t it? 😉
I told my artist that I wanted a band around my wrist.
I loved wearing bracelets and thought a permanent one would be a nice addition, representing the full-circle nature of life.
Well, I got more than I bargained for.
As she was sketching, we got talking.
There’s something about places like tattoo parlours, barbers and bars: you always end up telling your life story!
I told her how I used to be a psychology lecturer, before moving to corporate, to then eventually quit mainstream employment altogether and run my own business.
I also told her about my divorce and my three kids, and the personal transformation I was currently going through.
Flippantly, she said:
“Sounds like you’ve got three stages: your past life, that led you to this point, and the present moment that’s currently working on building your future.”
My ears pricked up at that; what a concept.
“How can we turn that into a tattoo?” I asked
Well, the picture below is what she came up with:
Each mandala on the band represents a different stage of my life.
The pattern inside my wrist represents my past, the pattern on the front is my present and the one above that is my future.
The whole design sits above the symbol of “Om”; 🕉️ represents the universe, divine energy, and spiritual truth in Hindu philosophy.
This tattoo represents that…
No matter what stages you go through in life…
No matter how good or bad…
You must remember to always go back to your source: absolute peace.
Through mastering inner peace, you’ll have all the tools you need to navigate life’s ups and downs.
Afterward, I reflected on this new experience.
I understood why I felt so compelled to get a tattoo that day.
> My days of playing the victim were behind me.
> My days of letting life happen TO me were over.
> My days of crying “why me?” were done.
I understood that through my divorce, my career change and every other challenge I faced, life was never trying to knock me down: it was always trying to help me learn.
I finally had the courage to learn those lessons.
Internalise their teachings.
And wear them on my skin with pride, forever.
Not bad for a first tattoo, eh?
