Modified.

Tattoos. Countless discussions on this somewhat controversial topic have me thinking pretty hard today. To get the obvious out in the open, yes, I am a proud owner and wearer of three beautiful tattoos. No, I don't (and never will) regret them. Yes, I understand the generational differences when it comes to this subject. Now, on with the show.

Tattoos are permanent. I know I said I was done stating the obvious, but I guess I had room for one more giant duh statement. This is something we know by the time we can comprehend. To me, the permanence of tattoos are part of their undying beauty. Taking the step to approach a parlor, make a design, and give the thumbs up for an artist to press that needle to your skin is a conscious and sacred process, and one I've found myself in awe of. It's breathtaking- all that goes into making that piece of art you'll carry on yourself. It starts with paper, and the second you see that stencil, your stomach jumps and your heart skips a beat. To me, it felt more than right. It was like that design, that piece of art belonged on me.

Obviously, it goes without saying that I'm not condoning the tattoo that gets about zero thought. You know the likes of drunken nights and bets and things that seem funny in the moment. Timelessness is something you have to take into consideration when you first begin thinking about getting one. Thinking. It's something we take for granted these days, but it's something you have to do. My junior year, I was always doodling on my hands, arms, anything within reach. This is where a lot of my ideas were born. I got my first tattoo on December 3, the day after my 18th birthday. I got it as soon as I could, but a lot of thought went into creating it. I'd been messing with designs and ideas for over a year. I knew by the time I was turning 17 that I wanted tattoos. Plural, tattoos. But I let the ideas swim a round in my mind and drew and planned for what it would be, and what it would mean.

I can't forget the day I figured it out. I was at my best friend's house, and she told me she had a picture to show me, that she saw it and knew I would love it. A simple peace sign intersecting with a heart. All black, linear, clean. Breathtaking. That same day I decided that same picture would become my first tattoo, peeking at me now from the underside of my wrist, my constant reminder that I should love everyone, and always maintain my positive nature. It's a reminder to me not to let negativity take me over, and to approach every situation in life with as much kindness as I can. Be slow to anger and quick to love. I can't be a mean-spirited person with a symbol of peace and love somewhere that everyone can see. It's a challenge to me to live up to its message, and I fully intend to do so.

My tiny star, as random as it may seem, is a dreamkeeper. I've been doodling what is now a permanent star on my thumb for well over a year now. It started as a reassurance. Junior year had a shaky start; the summer before had changed me and the person I was, and it's hard to be confident when you've only just figured yourself out. I dreamed of music and writing and one day spending my time turning passion into profession. You wish on stars, so why on earth shouldn't my wishes and dreams be embodied inside a star? Right there on my thumb, where I can see it and remember. Dreams are important; they give people something to live and work for. My dream. My star. They're one in the same. It keeps me honest, and it keeps me on the track I need to be on, allowing wiggle room for a little fun along the way.

My third is my own spin on something common. Nautical star, and the year I was born right beside it. One day I was talking to a friend about tattoos. Within the conversation, I remember it being said that the nautical star was "the tattoo of our generation." I had already wanted a nautical star tattoo, and wasn't sure how to make it my own. However, being a lover of tattoos and a member of our generation, this conversation hit the idea over my head: generation. Birth year. Nautical star. Add in some plus signs, and the opposite end of the equation came out to = my next tattoo. I was a little brave with this one. I went to a trusted tattoo parlor in Madeira Beach, FL where plenty of family members (including a previous piercing of my own) have gotten tattoos and piercings, and asked the artist to help me out. Last appointment before closing found me there a few days later. I told him color and concept and he went to work; I didn't know that when I looked in that mirror two hours later that it would come out so.. perfect. This is the work of an artist. Unable to leave it a flat, typical nautical star, he laced white highlights with black lines and lowlights the complement the most uniquely beautiful shades of aquablue I'd ever seen. It was nothing I couldn't conjured up myself and everything I wanted it to be. My own spin. My smiling surprise.

It's somewhere I could cover up, but why would I want to? I hear people saying all the time that that they think tattoos are meant to be covered up. Why would I get something on me forever if I didn't want it to be seen? To me, it defeats the purpose. I suppose I can understand a "professional" wanting a back tattoo over a wrist tattoo; they don't always go over in all business worlds. Me though, I want a job where I can wear my tattoos wth pride. I put this art on me so I could represent everything that is important to me. People say that I'll hate them when I'm old, that my skin will sag and my tattoos will change. Seriously, I can't wait. Just like the things they embody will grow with me, so will my tattoos.

As I change, they will too. As I grow old, they'll mirror the wear my years have seen. I'd be disappointed if it happened any other way. Tattoos don't make my body less of a temple, people of the church. Don't we glorify the beauty of the Sistine? Aren't stained glass and sculpture and paintings a staple in most churches? Tattoos are nothing more than painting the walls, personalizing our space. Just like decorations aren't necessary in a church, neither are tattoos. But, if you ask me, both make the surface they decorate just a little more beautiful and close to the heart.

Call the first peace and balls all you want, it still means the world in my eyes. The hilarity of its likeness only makes it more quirky and loveable to me. After all, you should expect to be pleasantly surprised with every tattoo you get. If you come in with a very specific idea of how exactly the design on paper will transfer to your skin, expect to be disappointed. Come into it with an open mind, and get excited for the quirk each piece will indefinitely turn up. The third was by far the biggest surprise of the three, yet they've all turned up their unique traits. My heart is misunderstood, my star slighty faded, and I'm constantly explaining what exactly '90 stands for. With every reminder, though, they just become more fond to me, more dear to my heart. I couldn't be happier that my tattoos took on a spunk of their own, better embodying me and the things they represent.