1/3 Life Crisis: To Tattoo or Not To Tattoo?

Hayden Panettiere was on The View discussing how her tattoo was misspelled. The tattoo reads
“Vivere senza rimipianti,” which is meant to be “to live without
regrets” in Italian. Welllll…an extra i was added to the Italian word
for “regret.” Her response? She’s proud of it and going to live up to what it means (or is supposed to mean).

Photo credit: www.milliondollartattoo.com

When I moved up to the ‘burbs from the city, I got a little restless.

So what did I do? Have a girl’s night out? Go on a shopping spree? No silly, I got a tattoo! Now, this wasn’t your regular tattoo, mind you. I had it all designed in my head- something with a lot of meaning, unique, and bold. What I ended up with was a misshapen, fuzzy outline that kinda looked like the metal picture I had if I squinted and didn’t look very hard. I cried.

I messed up; I didn’t communicate exactly what I wanted and I settled. I recently got it fixed and love it more than the original image I had in mind, but I lived with the not-so-fabulous ink for years before I got up the courage to try again. This time, I was very specific, came armed with an iPad photo gallery, and dressed in leather for extra courage (hey, I was a suburban mom…I needed them to take me seriously!). I had the owner of another parlor do the work himself (never mind the fact that he was high as a kite and kept taking “breaks” to increase his creative potential. Whatever; it worked).

Long story short, I learned that I need to be prepared in life, ask for EXACTLY what I want and not stop until I get it. Almost everything can be corrected, redone or modified in a way that is satisfactory.

So to tattoo or not to tattoo?

I say do it. My parents wouldn’t let me get any (more) piercings or tattoos when I was in college, and I am thankful for that. I think people truly develop when they are completely supporting themselves, living on their own, completely responsible for their own actions. I love my tattoo and it stands for who I am today and what I value in life.

Any other tattoo tales out there? Would love to hear about them!

(P.S. I realized I have never mentioned that comments make my day. Literally. MAKE MY DAY! So thank you to everyone who a. reads this blog and b. takes the time to leave comments.)

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6 Comments

  1. sandy
    August 25, 2012 / 6:25 pm

    I vote no tattoos. sorry!

    • August 25, 2012 / 7:45 pm

      Hah! I probably would have voted no on the tattoo front as well if my parents hadn't forbid it!

  2. August 26, 2012 / 12:45 am

    I vote yes!! I had a bad experience in college, typical boyfriend crap, and on a night out with my dear friend Victor's support, I voted yes to the tattoo. Now, I knew my dad would have killed me, so it is very much hidden (wink wink). So no regrets on it's placement. And I knew I wanted something with meaning so I looked to one of my brothers "sayings/poems" about his baby sister. And I don't regret it at ALL!! Since then, I have developed this callus around my wedding ring that won't allow me to take it on and off. so yes, I am thinking of ring tattoo (tattoo #2). we shall see….

  3. August 26, 2012 / 2:33 pm

    C, the placement of mine is very hidden as well so it would be for ME! I love the fact that you looked to your brother!! For me, as long as it has meaning and isn't the Tasmanian Devil, be proud of it! If you do decide to go for the wedding band tat, I will be your wing woman. We will dress up in badass outfits and head to the city together!

  4. September 7, 2012 / 5:27 am

    I say do it!…then do it again, if you want to. I have two tattoos and love them both, for different reasons. I'm a major hockey fan, so naturally when the MN Wild came out with their logo, I knew this is what I wanted to get. It had everything. Nature scene, dealt with my favorite sport and had my last name incorporate into it. Perfect. I got it on my right arm above the tan line, so it is hidden when i wear a business shirt, but easy to show others. Now we come to my second Tat…

    My daughter, also a hockey fan, became a Mighty Ducks fan for some reason. At the beginning of the 2007 season…keeping in mind this was SEVEN MONTHS before the playoffs, she claimed…nooo…she GUARANTEED me that the Ducks would win the Stanley Cup that year. I was so confident they wouldn't, I decided, like a genius, to place a wager. She immediately shook my hand and said "ok….what's the bet?". I said that if they DIDN'T win the Cup that year, she would have to wear MN Wild clothing for ONE YEAR (each time we went out in public). She then said "ok..what if they WIN?"…remember my confidence level…I quickly said "Fine, if they WIN THE CUP THIS YEAR, I'll get a Mighty Ducks Tattoo on my left arm". She agreed and….nine months later, sat and watched as I got my new tattoo with the initial "4SW" (for Sommer Wild) under the Old School Ducks Logo. 🙂

    I cherish this tattoo for the lessons we both learned. Sommer learned that you never welsh on a bet…I learned that I should have brought her to Vegas that year. Even though I'm pretty sure that the inks from my Tats are going to touch inside my body causing a catastrophic explosion, I cherish them for different reasons.

    By the way, both of my girls have my permission to ink their bodies when they are old enough and have that image the want to live the rest of their life with.

    Game On!

    • September 7, 2012 / 2:27 pm

      Scott, I LOVE THIS!! What a great way to teach your little lady a lesson and have fun in the process. I agree; tattoos can be a symbol of lessons learned in a big way…a permanent reminder of where you have come and where you want to go.

      My husband also has an arm tattoo JUST above the business shirt line as well, and mine is on my lower back. Both allow us to do the business thing without offending those who are opposed to tattoos.

      As for Vegas, you might find yourself getting another tattoo while you are there!! Even though whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, tattoos might be the one thing that comes home with you 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time for sharing your hilarious story! I appreciate you!