So, I got a tattoo!

These are words that for 53 years of my life, I never ever thought I would say. When my youngest daughter Jess suggested we get matching tattoos, I did think it was a clever ploy for her to start getting tattoos but nevertheless I agreed.

It was early March 2020 when we went to make the appointment, only to realise that Jess at 16, was two years short of the legal age to get a tattoo in Victoria.

Then COVID hit and a few years went past. Jess turned 18 last September and although the tattoo was mentioned, neither of us made plans to get it done.

New York Catalyst

It was our recent ‘mother and daughter’ holiday in New York that became the catalyst. We only had one day left of our trip and had ticked off everything we had planned to do in the Big Apple. So, we were discussing over dinner what we could do on our final day.

“Why don’t we get our matching tattoos here in New York?” I suggested to Jess. Granted it was after a couple of wines! But the next day Jess asked if I was serious.

“Absolutely,” I said. It will add to the back story and give it even more meaning.

Our Back Story

The back story behind our matching tattoos relates to our chosen artwork, a sun symbol.

When Jess was younger I would always sing to her.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy when skies are grey.

She would always join in with me to complete the song.

You’ll never know dear how much I love you.

Please don’t take my sunshine away.

The back story is priceless to me. Getting the matching tattoos after a fabulous holiday together makes it magical.

My Message

After we got the tattoos and were out for lunch, I told Jess that I wanted to write about our tattoos, but I wasn’t sure about the message in the story.

She said, “Maybe it shows that when a story is good enough it becomes permanent, like a tattoo.”

GENIUS!!!

So in summary, never underestimate the back story and how it makes something more valuable.