Embrace Yourself: Tell Me About Your Tattoos

For a few weeks, my blog will be featuring people in my life that have chosen to use their bodies as a canvas for art and for statements about their life, in the form of tattoos.  Although I don't have any myself (legit needle phobia), I still love them and have respect for people that choose to have them.  Every tattoo has a story.  I intend to tell theirs.  I would like to introduce my first subject. Well, subjects actually.  Meet Paul and Jeanine, and listen to their story.

Paul:

“While everyone's tattoo has specific meaning, mine sometimes is actually a lifeline. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 2012. After years of wondering what was going on with my mind and actions, it was actually a relief to put an explanation to what I was feeling. What I have now come to understand are manic and depressive cycles used to confuse and frustrate me on a daily basis. The Semicolon movement started years ago as a symbol of mental health disorders. When an author writes a story, there are times when they can finish a thought with a period. However, there are also times when a thought is continued with the use of a semicolon to let the reader know that while they could finish the thought at that point, they have decided that the story must go on by the use of a semicolon. This small action has become a rallying cry for the mental health community. The semicolon is my daily reminder that while I could end my story right now, I have purposely chosen to continue my journey. My tattoo is strategically placed as a constant visual symbol that there is hope as I chose to continue my journey. When I made the decision to get the tattoo, I wanted the hope portion of the tattoo in my wife, Jeanine’s, handwriting. What I have learned in my journey of living with Bipolar Disorder is that the people that you love the most are the ones that typically have to deal with the cycles. They are your support and the people that bear the most burden of my actions. Jeanine could have easily walked away from our marriage because of the sometimes overwhelming burden that it places on her. Quite honestly, I would have not blamed her if she did. But instead, she chose to face the battle with me head on, side by side never missing a beat. That type of commitment and understanding is rare in any relationship. I felt as if I was a burden but she reminds me daily how much she loves me and that we are in this journey together. So my tattoo is especially important to me because of the symbolism of the semicolon showing that I chose to continue my journey, and my wife's handwritten message of hope reminding me that I am not embarking in this journey alone.”


Jeanine:
"My first tattoo is on my foot.  My son, Shane, asked me to go with him and get a tattooo.  Of course he thought I wouldn't go through with it!  Little did he know how determined I was.  I mean, when your 20 year old asks you to do something momentous like that, of course you do it.  The tattoo is a pair of connected hearts with Paul's initials and mine.  Perfect!  My left arm has 'i love you' with the lower case 'i'.  It's done in my daughter's handwriting.  She thought the lower case 'i' would bother me, because I'm such a perfectionist about grammar.  I told her it was just right, because that's how she always signed her name.  The tattoo on my right arm is the most significant of all that I have - a butterfly made from a semi-colon.  It was done to honor my husband, Paul, who has bi-polar disorder.  The semi-colon movement is powerful, and I am proud to be a small part of it to support the man I love."

Blogger's Note:  Paul runs a Facebook page as support for himself and others that struggle with bi-polar disorder.  Check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/MyMindIsATerribleThingToWaste/?fref=nf&pnref=story