It's rather out of place for me to be here. The subtle scent of weed emanating from somewhere out back whifts through the air. The incessant whirring noise of the gun is intimidating as I watch the grimacing faces of the people getting some part of their body done in ink. I'm not even here to get a tattoo.
I was asked to accompany a friend today to get his sleeve finished at a tattoo parlor in Los Angeles. My canvas is clean and free of tattoos so being that I have never been to one, I thought it would be interesting to take in the experience. I had nothing else better to do.
As I looked upon the various framed examples of tattoos hung up on the walls of the store, like every parlor I've happen to pass by does, a woman manning the front desk strikes a conversation with me. She asked me if I was "here to get inked." I react with a nervous chuckle and reply "no, I'm just here with my friend. He's the one getting a tattoo." Like clockwork, her next question was whether or not I had any and I quickly reply with a "no." As conversations progress, as they normally should, she asks if I had ever wanted to, or plan on getting one. "I've thought about it," I reply, "but I never had the will to go through with getting one. Not that I'm afraid of whatever pain is involved in getting one. I'm just one of those people who would rather appreciate art on someone else's body rather than mine."
Believe me, I've thought about it before. I understand the reasons why someone would want to get a tattoo but it just never was ME to get one. If I ever was to get one, I was always fond of the swallow, namely the Sailor Jerry type swallow. It's a little weird that I want one. Those tattoos, historically, were worn by sailors and I'm no sailor. I've been known to get a bit sea sick almost half the time I'm out on a boat in open water so there's no symbolism behind the swallow for me in that sense.
From what I understand, another legend behind the swallow tattoo, is that it represents not only freedom, but no matter what, the swallow always returns home at some point or many points and I like that symbolism because that is pretty much who I am as a person. Now, I'll be the first person to say that astrology is a bunch of hogwash but the descriptions of who Sagittariii are, have been 70% correct about describing me. I pulled that number out of my ass fyi but you get the gist and I digress.
I like to seek out new adventures, no matter how mundane or exciting they may be. That is why I consider every day to be new and I try to take it by the proverbial horns and take it all in. I'm not afraid to go at it alone either. Sure, experiencing something with someone else is fantastic and ideal, but if no one wants to have a go with whatever it is I want to do, I'll go out and experience it myself and I've done a lot of experiencing in my life and they've all been great regardless of the outcome. Every now and again I just feel like I need to go some place far and escape for awhile. In the end, however, I find myself coming back and not because I have to because I never really HAVE to. I want to.
There's also the sense of loyalty with the whole "returning" legend of the swallow and I'm very much that. I'm fiercely loyal to the people I regard as friends and family. Once a person has my loyalty, there is very little that can break that and once you have my loyalty, you also have my love and respect and it comes unconditionally. I'm not sure if that plays with the whole Sagittarius thing but I can say that that is me. That's who I am and that can never be changed as that's my soul, the essence of who I am.
Of course, there are other legends behind the swallow tattoo. Mainly for sailors such as if a sailor dies at sea, the swallow would carry his or her soul to heaven and the like but that doesn't speak to me. Not a sailor.
I tell this girl the same thing and we converse at length about loyalty and other similar matters for the duration of my friend's time on the table. During one of those comfortable silence moment, that break in a conversation where both parties are soaking in what's been said, she smiles and breaks the silence by asking me where would I place this tattoo. I thought about it for a good minute or two. I don't want it hidden. I wear my heart on my sleeve so why should I hide something that has a great deal of symbolism to me. Sure, some place on my chest, close to my heart, is a no brainer but I want people to see and maybe those who will see it might know why I got it. "The right side of my neck," I reply. "You know British sailors wore them on their neck sometimes," she says, as she goes on about the story of swallows taking fallen sailors at sea into heaven. "I just want people to know the strength of my loyalty and love."
I was asked to accompany a friend today to get his sleeve finished at a tattoo parlor in Los Angeles. My canvas is clean and free of tattoos so being that I have never been to one, I thought it would be interesting to take in the experience. I had nothing else better to do.
As I looked upon the various framed examples of tattoos hung up on the walls of the store, like every parlor I've happen to pass by does, a woman manning the front desk strikes a conversation with me. She asked me if I was "here to get inked." I react with a nervous chuckle and reply "no, I'm just here with my friend. He's the one getting a tattoo." Like clockwork, her next question was whether or not I had any and I quickly reply with a "no." As conversations progress, as they normally should, she asks if I had ever wanted to, or plan on getting one. "I've thought about it," I reply, "but I never had the will to go through with getting one. Not that I'm afraid of whatever pain is involved in getting one. I'm just one of those people who would rather appreciate art on someone else's body rather than mine."
Believe me, I've thought about it before. I understand the reasons why someone would want to get a tattoo but it just never was ME to get one. If I ever was to get one, I was always fond of the swallow, namely the Sailor Jerry type swallow. It's a little weird that I want one. Those tattoos, historically, were worn by sailors and I'm no sailor. I've been known to get a bit sea sick almost half the time I'm out on a boat in open water so there's no symbolism behind the swallow for me in that sense.
From what I understand, another legend behind the swallow tattoo, is that it represents not only freedom, but no matter what, the swallow always returns home at some point or many points and I like that symbolism because that is pretty much who I am as a person. Now, I'll be the first person to say that astrology is a bunch of hogwash but the descriptions of who Sagittariii are, have been 70% correct about describing me. I pulled that number out of my ass fyi but you get the gist and I digress.
I like to seek out new adventures, no matter how mundane or exciting they may be. That is why I consider every day to be new and I try to take it by the proverbial horns and take it all in. I'm not afraid to go at it alone either. Sure, experiencing something with someone else is fantastic and ideal, but if no one wants to have a go with whatever it is I want to do, I'll go out and experience it myself and I've done a lot of experiencing in my life and they've all been great regardless of the outcome. Every now and again I just feel like I need to go some place far and escape for awhile. In the end, however, I find myself coming back and not because I have to because I never really HAVE to. I want to.
There's also the sense of loyalty with the whole "returning" legend of the swallow and I'm very much that. I'm fiercely loyal to the people I regard as friends and family. Once a person has my loyalty, there is very little that can break that and once you have my loyalty, you also have my love and respect and it comes unconditionally. I'm not sure if that plays with the whole Sagittarius thing but I can say that that is me. That's who I am and that can never be changed as that's my soul, the essence of who I am.
Of course, there are other legends behind the swallow tattoo. Mainly for sailors such as if a sailor dies at sea, the swallow would carry his or her soul to heaven and the like but that doesn't speak to me. Not a sailor.
I tell this girl the same thing and we converse at length about loyalty and other similar matters for the duration of my friend's time on the table. During one of those comfortable silence moment, that break in a conversation where both parties are soaking in what's been said, she smiles and breaks the silence by asking me where would I place this tattoo. I thought about it for a good minute or two. I don't want it hidden. I wear my heart on my sleeve so why should I hide something that has a great deal of symbolism to me. Sure, some place on my chest, close to my heart, is a no brainer but I want people to see and maybe those who will see it might know why I got it. "The right side of my neck," I reply. "You know British sailors wore them on their neck sometimes," she says, as she goes on about the story of swallows taking fallen sailors at sea into heaven. "I just want people to know the strength of my loyalty and love."