Today was revelation day. That's revelation with the lowercase 'r' because otherwise we'd be dealing with biblical-type stuff - if you believe that.
I've done some very odd things in the last year and some. I wouldn't assign these actions to the mid-life crisis category although I can see they fit in that category as well. Shortly after my 40th birthday, I got a tattoo - during my first trip to Vegas. (that's 2 - tattoo and Vegas).
Yesterday, after giving it years of thought under the "Oh my god, I would NEVER do that category", I merely got up during lunch and drove myself to the tattoo and piercing parlor and had my left nostril pierced with a tiny stud and my navel pierced with a not-so-tiny stud. I really haven't told anyone. I guess the cat's out of the bag now. (that's 2 more.)
Non sequitur - neither one hurt more than having blood drawn. To me. I realize now that I am extremely pain tolerant. I will address that another day.
I spent the majority of my life looking at the people who did those things as reckless, dangerous, scary, rebellious...all of the things I had heard from my parents and authority figures all my life. The society I grew up in preached things like that were scandalous. Nice girls didn't do any of those things. And so, that was my perception as well. Deep down inside I found the forbidden intriguing but I pushed it quickly out of my head, knowing that I would be judged by people. Judged negatively. My parents would be horrified, disapproving. I was worried what people who didn't even know me would think of me. Deeply worried.
I know that my parents (my mother) will probably roll their eyes over the piercings and STILL I get nervous.
I grew up living in fear of disappointing my parents; disappointing authority figures, disappointing everyone really. It's one of my biggest faults. Cliche but true; if you spend all your time trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. And you certainly end up not pleasing yourself.
Tattoos and piercings are more common now thanks to celebrities and athletes who have numbed the shock value by making them mainstream. I think professional athletes are practically required to have multiples of each. Also, a generation of young, more brazen and cavalier people have made it commonplace. Off the top of my head I can't think of anyone I know in their 20's and teens who doesn't have one or the other.
Youth is all about rebellion. The most rebellious I was as a teen and in my 20's was arguing with my parents. I never even considered what I thought about anything. I accepted my parents' point of view as gospel and went on my merry way. I stayed that way until my early 30's.
Yeah, I get it, I'm a real late bloomer. But I have a tattoo and am considering another. I have multiple piercings in my ears - de rigueur for girls who were in their teens during the '80's. And now the tiny stud in my left nostril and the somewhat larger cubic zirconia stud in my navel join them. Maybe someday I'll regret it. Right now, I love it.
The lifelong church lady voices in the back of my head still cluck their tongues and try to make me feel guilty. But I wanted it and I did it.
Tattoos and piercings are not a big deal anymore to anyone. That isn't the point. It doesn't make me cool or edgy, because everyone does it. Yeah, strippers have tattoos and piercings; but I also know lawyers and doctors that do, too.
As painful as it is to admit, by the time someone my age gets around to doing something daring, it stopped being daring years before.
The triumph to me was that it was my decision and if you don't like it; I don't care.
Only took me 41 years to say that and really mean it.
I've done some very odd things in the last year and some. I wouldn't assign these actions to the mid-life crisis category although I can see they fit in that category as well. Shortly after my 40th birthday, I got a tattoo - during my first trip to Vegas. (that's 2 - tattoo and Vegas).
Yesterday, after giving it years of thought under the "Oh my god, I would NEVER do that category", I merely got up during lunch and drove myself to the tattoo and piercing parlor and had my left nostril pierced with a tiny stud and my navel pierced with a not-so-tiny stud. I really haven't told anyone. I guess the cat's out of the bag now. (that's 2 more.)
Non sequitur - neither one hurt more than having blood drawn. To me. I realize now that I am extremely pain tolerant. I will address that another day.
I spent the majority of my life looking at the people who did those things as reckless, dangerous, scary, rebellious...all of the things I had heard from my parents and authority figures all my life. The society I grew up in preached things like that were scandalous. Nice girls didn't do any of those things. And so, that was my perception as well. Deep down inside I found the forbidden intriguing but I pushed it quickly out of my head, knowing that I would be judged by people. Judged negatively. My parents would be horrified, disapproving. I was worried what people who didn't even know me would think of me. Deeply worried.
I know that my parents (my mother) will probably roll their eyes over the piercings and STILL I get nervous.
I grew up living in fear of disappointing my parents; disappointing authority figures, disappointing everyone really. It's one of my biggest faults. Cliche but true; if you spend all your time trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. And you certainly end up not pleasing yourself.
Tattoos and piercings are more common now thanks to celebrities and athletes who have numbed the shock value by making them mainstream. I think professional athletes are practically required to have multiples of each. Also, a generation of young, more brazen and cavalier people have made it commonplace. Off the top of my head I can't think of anyone I know in their 20's and teens who doesn't have one or the other.
Youth is all about rebellion. The most rebellious I was as a teen and in my 20's was arguing with my parents. I never even considered what I thought about anything. I accepted my parents' point of view as gospel and went on my merry way. I stayed that way until my early 30's.
Yeah, I get it, I'm a real late bloomer. But I have a tattoo and am considering another. I have multiple piercings in my ears - de rigueur for girls who were in their teens during the '80's. And now the tiny stud in my left nostril and the somewhat larger cubic zirconia stud in my navel join them. Maybe someday I'll regret it. Right now, I love it.
The lifelong church lady voices in the back of my head still cluck their tongues and try to make me feel guilty. But I wanted it and I did it.
Tattoos and piercings are not a big deal anymore to anyone. That isn't the point. It doesn't make me cool or edgy, because everyone does it. Yeah, strippers have tattoos and piercings; but I also know lawyers and doctors that do, too.
As painful as it is to admit, by the time someone my age gets around to doing something daring, it stopped being daring years before.
The triumph to me was that it was my decision and if you don't like it; I don't care.
Only took me 41 years to say that and really mean it.
Oh, I'd write a comment... but it is a full-on blog post in its own right. Tonight!
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