I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday. It wasn’t a rushed idea. I literally scribbled out ideas for a full year trying to decide on what I wanted. While some get tattoos on a whim, there is meaning behind each piece of body art I have acquired over the years.
I was given the opportunity to get a tattoo for a Mother’s Day present. Not being tattooed in almost four years, I’ve had plenty of time to think of tattoo ideas, with several still sitting in my brainstorming box. I had been thinking about a semicolon tattoo for some time but, I wanted it to be more than that. I wanted something about being a survivor. Or “I survived”.
When I was about 20 minutes from getting it done, it hit me. I wanted an awareness ribbon with it. The domestic violence and sexual assault awareness ribbon.
Sure enough, the tattoo artist got the design just right. When he showed me the stencil, I knew it was perfect.
I needed a physical reminder that I am a fighter. I’ve survived it all. I know that I can be my worst critic and drag myself down but now, a brief glimpse at my wrist and I am reminded that I’m still here.
Your story doesn’t have to end. Keep fighting. Even when you feel like there’s nothing left, there will always be hope. Remind yourself of what you have faced.
Give yourself meaning again.
Interested in Project Semicolon? Visit ProjectSemiColon.org
