Tattoo you... well tattoo me actually....

I've always been fascinated by tattoos ... used to stare at my cousin's beefeater arms with their semi-naked ladies when I was child. Didn't like them, but was fascinated. A boy I had a crush on years ago had a bluebird tattooed above his heart... I liked that one... well, I liked the boy and the chest that it was on.

And when the celtic/ tribal tattoos took off, I really liked those. I like to know why people have them, and I can admire the skill of the artist often, even if I couldn't imagine having that inked on to my skin. So, I flirted with the idea of getting a tattoo for years, and the year I was turning 38 decided to do it while in Sydney for the Mardi Gras with a friend.

I wasn't sure what I wanted ... thought about my astrological sign, Pisces and also thought about a moon of some sort... as I have a strong affinity to the moon, always have had....##

I also love butterflies... for some people they represent the futility of life, once a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis they only live for 4 to 10 days... but for me they represent transformation and change, I had changed... and wanted something to reflect that change. So, I picked a butterfly...a small butterfly tattooed on my hip... so small in fact, that if I don't wear my glasses it looks like a multicoloured bruise.

Angus the Folly (also known as Boomerang Boy) was horrified when I told him that I wanted to get one. I hate tattoos, says he. So what, says I, I like them. He didn't believe I'd do it, actually I wasn't so sure myself... When I got back from Sydney, very proud of my little butterfly I had this conversation with him over the phone:

BB: Did you do it? Did you get one?

MFF: Yeah, I did.

BB: What did you get?

MFF: I got our initials tattooed inside a heart on my right boob

BB: What!!!! Are you for real?

MFF: No, stupid... as if I would...

BB: Well, what then?

MFF: You know that Where's Wally game?

BB: Yes, I love that game...

MFF: Well, we could play our own private version of Where's Wally...

BB: What!!!! Seriously?

MFF: How about you find out for yourself next time I see you...

He never did get to see it, as he boomeranged out of my life again quite dramatically not long after...

People's reactions to the fact that I have one is always fascinating.### Lots of disapproval, lots of how could you be so stupid etc. Particularly from men around my age or older... I kind of liked the idea of turning people's perceptions of me on their head a little, this was such a personal thing, a declaration that my body was mine, to do with what I will....

I always intended to have another done... I truly loved the experience, love the memory of that time, and how I felt... and thought about adding to the butterfly collection... to end up with a scattering of butterflies all over my body... still kind of like that idea...and as my birthday approached this year, thought about it again.

The universe is sending me strong messages about this tattoo thing... NPNP and I discussed finding a tattooist a few weeks ago. I thought again about my zodiac sign, and also about a tree of some sort, as I seem to be dreaming and meditating a lot about trees lately. Or the chinese symbols for wisdom and hope... though have heard a story about someone having the chinese symbol for tattoo tattooed on them... which is funny...

And then one of the blogs I've started to read had a link to an old post tattoos being sexy, and talked about how you need to find a tattoo that represents who you are...so, I started to ponder a bit... who am I now?

One of the bloggers who commented on the post above talked about having the word 'yes' tattooed on the back of her waist, and I thought about what word would best describe me... and immediately thought the word that best describes me is ...why... and then thought again of a guy I dated briefly suggesting I should have a giant ? placed on my tombstone to indicate what an enigma I was... so started thinking about a series of small question marks. Actually have seen a yin/yang symbol that has 2 question marks inside it, that looks pretty cool too...

And then today at work, in having a discussion about the appropriateness of footwear worn on casual days (barefoot or rubber thongs) I looked down at a colleague's foot and noticed a gorgeous tattoo ... a spiral inside a scroll along the edge of her foot, trailing down from her little toe. I commented on her 'great tatt' and she said thanks and we then had a chat and I discovered that her brother is a tattooist, working locally. She's going to give me his name and let him know I'm going to ring, as he only does work by referral.

So, it looks like the universe is sending me the opportunity to do this... I just need to decide on the what, where and when.####

## and to anyone who wants to make a cheap crack about my affinity with the moon and my odd moments of lunacy I say pfft....

### At my birthday party that year, I happily showed off my butterfly, until my boss, licked his thumb and rubbed his hand over it - not believing it was real. Forget how weird it was to have my very hunky boss rub spit on me, to say his wife (who was standing beside him at the time) was unimpressed was an understatement

#### Where? - I'm pretty sure I want something on my shoulder... not hidden exactly, but not obvious. When? - soon I hope. What? - still don't know... any suggestions?