By Sharika Nair
I got my first tattoo at forty. I had been thinking about it for over eight years.
My family’s reaction was exactly what I expected.
My mother asked, “What was the need for this? Was it a clean place? Were the needles disposable?”
My sister asked, “Is it some kind of mid-life crisis?”
My father just laughed.
I was filled with a deep sense of regret, the kind that comes out of nowhere and splashes all over you like a wave from a calm, blue sea. Eight years of worry for a passing critique when I could have been inked instead.
A relative of mine was tattooed with the name of the love of her life. The stinkrat had left her within a month!
Oops! Good riddance though, she deserves better
Really like this, touches on something deep about seeking approval from family and how that affects a life!
Thank you! True, often the desire for familial approval influences one’s decisions
My sons are tattoo artist I think they all have some kind of meaning what was yours
A sanskrit word meaning ‘you are divine’ and ‘flowers and a butterfly’ representing joy and growth ?