Before I get started I’d like to thank 
It took me a long time to get my first tattoo. I’ll never forget the moment I found the design, it resonated with me so much it finally made me commit. It was 2013 and my wife was getting her nails done when I stumbled into a bookstore to kill time. I found myself at the magazine rack paging through a tattoo magazine and this is when I saw it. A beautiful piece of art depicting the Buddha’s Flower Sermon.
“Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past.” ― Jack London
The design really resonated with me on several levels and I loved the meaning behind it. I propped the magazine open and snapped a picture of the design with my tiny iPhone 4 and it stayed there in my camera roll for years, getting buried deeper and deeper with each photo I took. Three years and two iPhones later it was still there (thanks iCloud).
2016 was one hell of an exciting year. I was lucky enough to have my novel and poetry catch fire here on Steemit. At the time I was making more than I ever had with my writing. Although it was all still too new to feel real but one thing was for sure...I could finally afford to get my tattoo! Here I was forty-five already so some people assumed this was the beginning of some kind of midlife crisis. I’ll admit it was a little out of character for me.
I bit the bullet, made the appointment with Grease and felt that addictive buzz of the needles for the very first time.
I came back the two years later to get the lotus and clock on my forearm. The two designs are connected by smoke so they flow together as a partial sleeve. Whenever I glance at my left arm I’m reminded of a few things, the blessing of that amazing year here on Steemit, the first visit to Europe during SteemFest 1 in Amsterdam, and my introduction to the world of cryptocurrency.
I got this second piece on my right shoulder in 2017, a few months before SteemFest 2 in Lisbon. This is a Buddhist mandala set on top of sacred geometry (flower of life). This one hurt like a sonnuvabitch due to its heavy lines and complexity but the end product, to me, is well worth it. When I find a design that I connect with I’ll eventually finish my right arm in a full sleeve.
Tattoos have changed my life. Each time I look at them I'm reminded of specific blessings. Each of them have deep meaning. Like the growth rings of a tree they, for the rest of my days, mark important milestones in my life.
Do people treat me differently when my tattoos are exposed? I'd be lying if I said they didn't. Although tattoos are, generally, much more accepted certain segments of our society still have issues with them. Some people treat you as though you're of a lower class or IQ when they see your tats. I find this blatant superficiality hilarious but it this doesn't bother me at all. Whenever it happens I'm grateful because these are always strangers who know nothing about me and it instantly reveals both a bit of their character and narrow mindset.
On the flip side, I've also had people assume I'm cooler and/or hipper than I really am because I have tattoos. I get called "dude" and "man" way more often than before I had ink. If they only knew how nerdy I really am. I even get called "man" and "dude" when I'm wearing my nerdiest attire...my "Chomsky Is My Homeboy" t-shirt. My life would have been oh so much easier if I could have gotten tatted up in middle school. : )
Thank you for reading,
Eric
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the Steemit blockchain
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