For some reason growing up as a child, I always had the impression that people with tattoos were “scary.” When my sister turned 18 and decided to get her first tattoo, I began to see tattoos in a slightly different light. However, I was still unsure about getting one myself because of the bad reputation associated with tattoos. I didn’t want to be labeled by other people. Obviously, I got over my aversion to tattoos because in June of 2015, I got my first tattoo. It was not a rash decision at all, actually I wanted one a year prior, but was nervous about getting something so permanent. So, I decided to wait a year and if I still wanted one, then I would get one.

I have never put more thought into something in my life and I am more than happy with the way it turned out. It’s a compass on my upper back with a phrase that says “ready for anything” in Latin. Now, I was told that once you get one tattoo, your second one is not far behind. I did not think this to be true but if you ask me how many tattoos I have, I now have to say I have two. I went in for my second tattoo Dec. 21, 2015, which was a special day to me because it was my 20th birthday.

That day I got the most life-changing tattoo, literally. The meaning behind the tattoo could not hold more significance to my life, it is the meaning for my life. The tattoo itself is a roman numeral five that my sister who is an artist designed for myself and herself. The five stands for the five miscarriages my mom endured before finding out that she would probably never have kids. My parents still wanted to have a family so they decided to adopt my two beautiful older sisters. Now where do I fit into all of this? My parents had stopped trying to have kids but luckily they became pregnant shortly after my sister’s adoption, and my birth became a reality.

The tattoo means a lot to me but I know that it means just as much, maybe more, to my mom and dad. I know they were not always for tattoos, but how can they get mad at me? Looking at the tattoo, one doesn’t automatically understand what it means. I have constantly been asked what it means. I have no problem explaining the story to people and they are often surprised, knowing this story gives them a deeper insight to myself and where I come from. That’s what people don’t understand about tattoos. More often than not the person is getting the tattoo to show a scar that can only been seen on the inside, or maybe it is spontaneous and doesn’t have much meaning. Maybe the person does actually regret it, but if getting a tattoo is the biggest mistake that I make in my life, then I’m living a pretty damn good life.