Marking my place in the world

12 years ago I arranged a birthday day party for myself, one of only two. As party favors each attendee received a small booklet entitled, 3 Decades of LaPorte: Poetry, Pictures, Prose and Propaganda. During the evening I read two short pieces from the collection which I wrote especially for the occasion. One reminisced about a tattoo of my initials on my shoulder. I mocked it as immature, yet honored it as marking my life as it was in my teen years.

That tattoo was homemade and didn’t cost me anything more than a little pain and time. Today I had my first (more to follow) visit with a professional to have the tattoo removed via laser. The pain was less this go around, but the cost was much more. I know tattoos continue to grow in popularity and cultural meaning in this country and others. For me, the ink on my arm represents a social location far removed. I don’t wear short sleeve shirts because of the tattoo. I decided it was time to make a change. The tattoo served its purpose, sometimes better than others. Nowadays I look for new, less permanent ways, to identify myself in the world, like posting a health and fitness blog.

Run well.

Tom