Yesterday, I went and did something I have been wanting to do for quite some time. I got another tattoo. This tattoo is not like my other ones, this one means something to me. I'm not saying that my other two don't, because they do, but this one is a reminder. This new ink reminds me that I am fighting on a road to recovery from my mental illnesses. This tattoo will always serve as a reminder for me to keep fighting even when I feel that I cannot go on any longer.
When I was getting the tattoo, my mind flashed back to the day I was in a tattoo parlor with my Dad while he got another tattoo. I remember sitting there as a kid thinking about how I wanted a tattoo, but could never sit through that much pain. As I sat in that chair allowing my artist to ink me up, I realized that the pain wasn't that bad. There were parts of the tattoo that hurt more than others as he hit different spots of bone in my arm, but it wasn't unbearable.
I tell you all this because it reminded me that life is like that. There are times when I sit and think that there is no way I am going to make it through this pain, this day, this situation. Then, I look back after it has passed and I realize it wasn't unbearable, I made it. Some parts of life hurt more than others, but as long as I fight I will continue to make it through the rough patches. Just as my artist was surprised at how well I was able to sit and how well my skin takes the ink. I am surprised all the time at how I can fight through what life throws at me. I've made it this far, there's no turning back now.
I will continue to fight, forever and for always.
(Oh, my lip got pierced too)
Credit for the tattoo and piercing goes to Chris (my artist) and Samantha (the lovely lady who pierced me) at Vicious Ink in Rochester, MI!
