I have always though tattoos were cool, but only when they had a cool story or a sentimental meaning.
It had always been my goal to get a tattoo when I turned 18; however, when I actually turned 18 I did not get a tattoo. There were many reasons for this, but a main one is I could not think of a picture or a word that held that much meaning to me. As all my friends turned 18 I watched them get tattoos for important people in their lives who have died, or quotes that got them through a hard time, or the location of our city. All were unique ideas to each person, but overall not very original.
Recently, my friend got a tattoo that I think is the most insane thing ever and very risky, but incredibly sentimental. My friend moved to California to continue her education and she cannot come home often, so for the whole semester she has been away from her friends, missing them and wishing they were with her. One morning I woke up with a text from her asking me to draw a quarter sized hand. My friend asked all her close friends whom she missed to doodle a hand and she got these doodles tattooed on her body. She called it her “helping hands.” At first, I was scared because my hand was awful, and she has artistic and talented friends, but seeing my poorly drawn hand doodle on her body forever made me happy. I know she appreciates me enough that even my chubby hand doodle with misshapen fingers made the cut to stay on her body for the rest of her life.