I'm Not Addicted, I'm Committed

Tattoos have basically become the fad of our generation. Everyone want to be “tatted up” as we call it, because it makes us look cool, they’re pretty addicting, and most of all, the ladies love them. I got my first tattoo when I was 16 years old. Of course I didn’t tell my mother about it, and I couldn’t go to a shop to get it because I was under age at the time. But I had a friend, that had a friend, and I was able to get hooked up for a good price. I remember it like it was yesterday, I told my dad that I was going to get a tattoo because I knew he wouldn’t care if I did get one. If I told my mother, she was going to knock my silly or probably killed me. But I had my mind set that I was going to do it no matter what. So, I told my parents that I was going to stay at my brother’s house for the night, which I was, but I was making a small detour to North Dallas to the Red Roof Inn to get inked. It actually wasn’t a very pleasant experience, only because it hurt pretty badly; but as soon as I left, I wanted more. Over the years I got tattoos here and there, now I have about 15? I really don’t feel like counting.

   I’m the kind of person that believes that a tattoo should have an important meaning, people should think about their decisions before they let someone permanently scar them because they will regret it later. For instance, I was at a tattoo convention and I saw this man with a tattoo of chap stick on his arm, like on his whole arm. I asked him why he got that tattoo and what was the meaning of it and all he could say was, “because no one else has it.” Seriously? I just do not understand why you would want something like that on your body forever. Every single one of my tattoos has a meaning that I will take with me to the grave/ I have a scroll with the scripture of Job 23:10 which says “He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” This means that I am on the path that God sets for me, no matter where it may take me; I will do as He says. Another tattoo I have is of my mother’s name, Christina. It is tattooed over my heart because I love her with everything I have. Dedication- because you have to be dedicated to your tasks and goals to get where you want to be in life. Sacrifice- because we have to lose and sacrifice certain things in order to gain. Loyalty- because I will remain loyal to my family and always have their backs. Courage- because having courage means you have to take risks. To top it all off, I got MCMXCI inside my biceps, which is 1991. Not only is this the year I was born, but it was the year that hell broke loose! Many times, people look at me and say, “oh my goodness, your addicted!” and I reply, “I’m not addicted, I’m committed!”