Getting a tattoo is like riding a motorcycle. The people that have not experienced it can not even come close to understanding the feeling of personal satisfaction that you get from doing it.
I was the first member of my family to ever get a tattoo. My grandpa was a tough guy, he even had some solid rings with cool designs that he used to wear. It was probably something that back in his days of youth was something that people probably saw as out of the norm. I got my tattoo right after my sister got married. I wanted to always remember the last year that my family spent together living under the same roof.
I told my sister that I was going to get it, and she freaked out. My parents are kind of old fashion and even getting my ear pierced was a source of a lot of heated arguments. She feared my parents reaction but that was not going to stop me. I kept it hidden from everyone else for a while. The first one to find out about it was my Mom. I had been successful at hiding it because since it is in my upper arm and I wear undershirts 90% of the time, she never had a chance to see it even though I was still living under her roof.
My Mom is a hair stylist and has cut my hair most of my life. I needed a haircut and as I sat on a chair to begin she told me, take off your shirt so it does not get all full of hair. I did not even think of my tattoo at the time, it had been weeks since I had gotten it and it was fully healed. My parents at the time were in the middle of their divorce, and I am not sure if it was because of it but she did not mind that I got it. She still thought I was a little crazy for getting it but was ok with it.
Since then my tattoo has grown, it started with just the Colombian flag, but now there is a full dragon all around it. I got the Colombian flag first because it represented to me one the the things that I am the proudest about, my heritage. It was also something that I knew would never change. I remember that I had always been into the Tazmanian devil and even considered it as a tattoo design. I am kind of glad that I decided to go with the flag first and that I now have a japanese style tattoo around it. I am not sure if I would still be as glad if I had Taz in my arm.