I can be very indecisive, so when thinking about tattoos I never thought I’d be happy enough with a design to actually get one. But, when your best friend becomes a tattoo artist it feels like those decisions aren’t so hard.
I had always known I wanted to get a tiny duck to honor the nickname my family gave me- Duckie, with many variations. Finally coming to a decision on what design I wanted, a rubber duck by my ankle, was so much easier when I could plan it out with my best friend. To me, it’s a part of who I am and a nickname that no matter how old I get will make me smile. Everyone always said I would beg my family to stop calling me Duckie once I got older but I never wanted them to stop. It makes me feel loved and like that little girl is still a part of me. It’s like a perfect childhood memory that I get to carry with me into adulthood.
Just as I always new I wanted some type of duck tattoo, I always wanted a cross tattoo. Having God and Jesus in my life is incredibly important to me. I wanted a constant reminder of my faith on my body to encourage and comfort me when I need it. I wanted to show that I am faithful and will live my life as a child of God. It can be very hard to keep positive thoughts at the front of your mind at times and especially to find the good in bad situations. My faith has brought me so much peace this past year as I’ve focused more of my time on it. I have learned so much and will continue to work on growing to be a better person.
For me, it’s so far beyond being set and unmoving in a religion. There is so much more to it than we can understand. My tattoo stands for love, peace, acceptance, forgiveness, and growth. It represents a part of myself I don’t share with many because I’m scared to be judged. I want to be stronger than that fear of judgement and share what I know to be true and right. Like I said, there is so much more than we can understand. We think so small and miss out on the big picture.
