A tattoo -- me?

Troy Garris memorial tattoo
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@tattoosbytroygarris --
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I’m thinking of getting a tattoo. 

What’s wrong with me?

Maybe it’s just one more thing I said I’d never do. Lately, I’ve been going back on a lot of things I said I’d never do. It’s surprising what you learn about yourself.  Next, I’ll be getting a piercing. 

Well, maybe not. 

I never had anything against tattoos. I just didn’t want one. There was nothing I felt compelled to put permanently on my body. I’ve seen some really nice ink, some great artistry. But I couldn’t picture it on me. 

Maybe that’s because I’ve also seen some really bad ink. I’ve known more people with mistakes and tattoos they regretted than those who had tats they liked. 

When my daughter thought she might want to be a tattoo artist, I knew she’d start getting tattoos. Which she did. She designed her first couple. I’m sure she’ll design many more for herself before she’s done. 

Since she started, she keeps asking me if I’ll get one. My usual answer is no. 

I follow a tattoo artist on Instagram. I met him on a soccer trip to Spain and Portugal. He was a coach for his son’s team; I was with a friend and her son, also a soccer player. He does really nice work. His designs are solid and his work is clean and precise. 

Occasionally, when he posts image, I’ll be struck by one and share it with my daughter. A recent image was a memorial tattoo — a father’s hand print on his son’s shoulder.
I sent it to her. She agreed it was nice and a neat idea. 

“You thinking of getting one?” she asked. 

Of course not, I thought. But I told her again that if I did get one, she could design it. 

But over the next few days, I really thought about what I’d get if I did get one. 

And I thought of something I’d be willing to get, if I did want to permanently mark my skin with a piece of art. 

It’s a waxing crescent moon, placed on the outside of my left wrist, just where my bracelet falls. 

I like jewelry. I often wear bracelets on both wrists. So I figured it would be like a permanent charm on my wrist.  

I don’t understand why people get tattoos they can’t see — tramp stamp anyone? If you’re getting permanent art, don’t you want to see it? Especially today when tattoos are much more accepted. 

So, if I get a tattoo, I want to be able to see it and enjoy it. 

I know if I get it in my wrist, others will see it. And that’s OK. It won’t be huge. And if someone doesn’t like it, oh well. I’m getting over what people think of me. 

But one rule remains. I don’t know why people get tattoos without meaning. I can understand simply liking a design. But I’ve known people with big, ugly (in my opinion) tattoos with no meaning. Really? I guess I take that whole permanent thing seriously. If I’m taking something with me permanently, it better have some meaning. 

So, I’ve come up with a tattoo that has meaning for me. 

I’ve loved astronomy since I took a class in college. As a journalism major, I took a lot of different classes. Well rounded and all that. So I took an astronomy class on a whim. I loved it. The math made my head spin, but I muddled through. And then I took the next class in the astronomy curriculum, and the math kicked my ass. But my science credits were fulfilled. 

And I loved it. 

If I could back to sixth grade, I’d tell myself to take every math and science class to be able to be an astronomy major. My eyes are bad, so I couldn’t be an astronaut, but I could have been an astronomer, studying the stars. 

But I couldn’t go back. Instead, I never changed my major and graduated in four years as a journalist. 

I still was passionate about the stars. My mom and sister set up a ruse with one of my sister’s friends so they would know which telescope to buy me. I’d use it occasionally. It was best for looking at the moon and planets. 

My sister hooked me on a star-gazing app I still love: Sky Guide. You can “listen” to the stars while you use it. It’s great when you’re on a yacht in the Adriatic Sea to pull up the app and see what’s overhead. 

And I still get really excited every time I see the moon. This winter we had a really gorgeous full moon one night when we had a rehearsal. I was giddy. “Did you see the moon?!?!” I demanded of everyone. 

The thing about the moon is, it’s always there — even when you can’t see it. The stars will change, depending on your global location, but the moon keeps her phases, tracing her way across the sky. She’s an old, old friend. She’s there for all of us — connecting us. We all look at the same moon. 

So I want her on my wrist as a reminder of my love for the heavens and the people I love, even if they are far away. 

I’ve also started thinking each time I see her that I’m where I should be — right now. It’s comforting, especially as I’m in a world of change. It grounds me. 

She will be pretty on my wrist, a little crescent tattoo, designed by my daughter. A little touchstone to remind me I’m where I should be right now. 

That’s what I’m thinking. What’s wrong with me?