My dad used to tell me that going into my senior year he would take me for a tattoo, but when the time finally came, my mom was not exaclty thrilled with the idea. Now, I had an idea in my head and something I wanted, so no was "no" longer an option. As it turns out, in fifth grade we were forced to write a persuasive letter on why we should get a specific present for Christmas. I did mine on why I thought I should get a puppy, and it worked. Being one-for-one on the persuasive-essay-to-desired-object game, I decided to try again, this time for a tattoo:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Life is about living and creating yourself into the person you wish to be. Seventeen years is not a long time to be creating, but as we know, my seventeen years have been full of growth. As a way to symbolize my growth I wish to get a tattoo. Similar to a scar, a tattoo is permanent and has a story, so I have created one to best fit mine. My tattoo includes an anchor, a cross, and an arrow. The anchor stands as a symbol of self-belief, the cross for security and the arrow to look forward.

The base symbol of my tattoo is an anchor. An anchor is an interesting symbol that is used as an emblem for things like the Navy and many cruise lines. In my perspective, an anchor is a reminder to refuse to succumb to self-doubts and anxiety, it is a refusal to sink you might say. Anxiety is something I have been fighting since middle school and something I need to continue to fight for the rest of my life. I never want to go back to those days of freshman year when I didn't want to leave my bed, or to all those nights I cried myself to sleep. The anchor also symbolizes my need to be independent. One anchor holds a whole ship in place; being able to look down at this symbol every day will remind me to be my own anchor, to hold myself down. I need to not rely on other people to decide my happiness like I did in my last relationship. Someone else's decisions will no longer decide how happy and content I am with my life; only I will do that. An anchor is strong and independent, and with the help of this tattoo, some day soon I will be, too.

Sketched within the anchor will be the next part of my life, my safety in religion, in the symbol of a cross. I often find comfort in readings from the scripture and a cross on my tattoo will be a reminder of that safety. A good reminder for me is "and this too shall pass," adopted from a verse in 2 Corinthians. What goes up will come down, but once you're at rock bottom you can't go anywhere but up. No matter what situation is thrown my way it will pass and life will be calm again. Another inspiring verse is 2 Corinthians 12:10 which states, "that is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." It is the times that I have felt the weakest that have made me stronger, because while I thought the world was ending, I did not quit and came back to see another day. To become a well rounded individual one needs to experience hard times. This develops both inner strength and the ability to have empathy for others. As part of my tattoo, the cross will remind me of the importance of hard times and that I can overcome them.

The last symbol I would like included in my tattoo is an arrow. The adage of the arrow reminds us that an arrow must be pulled back before it can be shot forward. This makes it a reminder to keep moving on. Life will drag me down sometimes, I understand that, but this only means that soon I will be shot forward fast, so I need to aim high. My arrow points upwards as a reminder to look to the sky, because that is the limit. I need to keep my head up, great advice given to me by my physics teacher Mrs. Angela Merrick. I also need to look up to God for guidance. I need to keep looking up for my dreams. While the arrow is the smallest part of the tattoo, it still holds a great meaning.

“Battle Scars” are common among people who have gone through tough trials; my tattoo is mine. Altogether my tattoo is a reminder to be myself and not get sucked into things that are not good for me. In short, I need to refuse to sink, but be my own anchor, for this too shall pass, even though when I am weak, then I am strong. Because this world will pull you back, but one day it will shoot you forward again, so keep looking on, and remember to aim high.

Fondly,