Confession: Tattoos

This week I’m deviating from my Vodka and Soda linkup Midweek Confessions norm to focus on one single, solitary, inky confession: I may have a slight addiction to tattoos and spend way too much time dreaming up new ones I could get.

My daydreaming has been especially bad this week. It started yesterday when Runner’s World tweeted a link to a slideshow of “28 Amazing Running Race Tattoos” and my brain instantly went into hyper mode, coming up with ideas for all different kinds of race-themed tattoos I could get. It didn’t help when I got to the last page of the slideshow and found a whole separate slideshow of “42 Awesome Running-Inspired Tattoos.” Hyper mode kicked up a notch.

One of my favorites from the RW slideshow (source)

I never thought I’d be the kind of person who has tattoos, mostly because I hate needles and have a tendency to get a bit fainty around them. Now I have 5. It all began about 3 years ago when my mom and I decided to get matching tattoos and had a weekend adventure out to Chicago so my brother-in-law could ink us up. (He had assured me that he was well versed at recognizing signs of fainting and would make sure I didn’t lose consciousness in his chair, and his word was good. I’m so glad I had a nice family member do my first tattoo! Otherwise, I’m pretty sure I never would have gotten one.)

Me and my mum showing off our tattoos

A few months after that first tattoo, I was back in bro-in-law’s shop for my second. A year later I got my third at a local shop. Then last summer I got two in quick succession – one more at bro-in-law’s shop, and the other, my favorite, at another shop closer to home:

Amazing artistry courtesy of Deirdre Doyle!

The fact that getting tattoos is not a cheap habit has saved me from getting more, and the only reason I have so many is because my bro-in-law refused payment for his. However, this doesn’t stop me from dreaming up more that I’d get if I could afford it! Another thing holding me back from covering myself in tattoos is that I want to be able to see any tattoo I get, which limits many available parts of my body. Something really has to earn a spot on the remaining real estate!

When I made my goal last April to run the Boston Marathon some day, I also decided that when I did run the Marathon, I’d get a tattoo to commemorate the feat. Whenever I get ideas that I think might look cool above my left ankle, I remember that I’m saving that spot for the B.A.A. unicorn and the year I ran. Finishing a marathon is a huge thing, and finishing Boston would totally merit a place on my skin.

But now these RW slideshows are making me think that maybe I want more after all… maybe I want hash marks of how many races I’ve completed, or a sleeve made up of little logos from each race I finish, or maybe some Hermes wings (but dear God not around the ankle bone… that would hurt like crazy!) It’s highly unlikely that I will get any of these tattooed on me, but now that the thought has been planted, who knows? (Maybe a shamrock to represent my running club?!)

When people used to tell me that tattoos can be addictive I’d roll my eyes, but now I think they may be right. For me, I think it’s the knowledge that I can handle the process, that I can be stabbed by a tiny needle a million times and not faint, and then walk out of a tattoo shop with a really cool, meaningful piece of art on me that I get to look at and think about whenever I want. Knowing I can handle that opens up infinite possibilities of other designs I can get, and it’s fun to think about those possibilities.

Anyway, that’s where my brain has been the past two days. Work? Sure, it’s getting done… while I think about tattoos 😉

How do you feel about tattoos – yay or nay?

If you’re pro-tattoo, would you ever consider getting a race tattoo?