Starting to live with the tattoo

As Trevor finished up the tattoo, he said, "People will think of you differently now. And they will react differently, too." I knew what he meant, but I hadn't given it much thought until he said that. After all, in every other way, I don't fit the profile of a tattoo-sporting woman.

An hour or so after getting the tattoo, I needed to run an errand to the photo store where they know me. After completing the transaction -- where my hand was in full view -- I said to Joe,
"Notice anything different about me?"
He replied, "Are you taller?"
I said, "Ah, that's good to hear. But what do you think of my hand?"
"Did you spill some paint on it?"
This guy should be in comedy.
I showed him the parrot. He said, "Does it talk?"
Why didn't I think of that? I should have positioned it so the beak was movable!

Actually, I thought this was pretty good for the first reaction. I loved the paint spill idea and may use it myself. And as far as the parrot talking, that's something to consider, too.

The next day, I didn't say anything at a business appointment. But one woman who knows me, after a few minutes, said with a big smile, "What's that on your hand?" I showed her and she responded, "I love it!" She said it was easy for her to see it in a positive light because one of her sons has several body piercings and a tattoo. OTOH, when her colleague saw it, she was convinced it was temporary. She couldn't believe that I would do such a thing. (I think I may get a lot of that kind of reaction. If a group of my friends or acquaintances was asked, Guess who got a tattoo, I don't think my name would be the first one mentioned.)

On Friday afternoon, I was with someone where both of us were using our hands quite a bit. She said nothing and I didn't bring it up.

Late Saturday afternoon, I ate dinner with a friend I haven't seen in person in about 20 years, even though we talk on the phone from time to time. Only near the end of dinner did I ask him what he thought. He said he had seen something on my hand during our meal but he wasn't sure what it was. I think he meant by that, that he saw it was a tattoo but he couldn't believe it. Yet he was very gracious about it and didn't seem negatively judgmental about it.

At church, one person began to admire my nails, which as you can see by the photos are a dark, dark maroon - almost black. Perhaps she was interested in the nails; or perhaps she actually wanted to hear about the tattoo. At any rate, she said, "Leave it to you to be up to date!" That was cool. The polish is, in fact, very up to date. I don't know whether the tattoo is. In retrospect, I think she wasn't really sincere.

A couple of people said, "It's going to be hell to remove." And I'm thinking, "Why would I do that? I love it."

Someone asked if the parrot has a name. Hmmmmm. I've pretty much decided the parrot will not be given a name.

In the several weeks since getting it done, I most enjoy the reaction of younger people. They love it -- and say so!