Countdown to insanity...

Strength. Patience. Silence.

These are all words that I think of when I think of the turtle tattoo I had inked onto my shoulder on my sister's birthday long ago. I wanted something that meant a great deal to me but would not be a big eye sore on my body. I didn't want the tattoo to be too large, so my choices were limited. In the end, I chose this turtle because it reminded me of peace, silence and a strong connection with my own inner strength.

I knew I didn't want to drop my drawers for the tattoo artist either so my shoulder became the easy option. The colour was more the artist's choice then mine - I said green and black, he ended up making it a shaded light to brighter emerald green for the inside of the black outline of the shell.

Now, if you are wondering if it would hurt, well I'm not sure it really did in the end. It was a smaller tattoo and the artist talked to me throughout the whole ordeal to keep me calm. Yet if you asked me the day I had the tattoo done; I would not have been too proud to tell you that I threw up twice in the washroom before my appointment. And that was before I even saw the little needles that would do all the picking that would turn my ink into a masterpiece of tattoo art. So as I sat down to begin my drawing's transformation into permanent ink, I began to feel all gutsy for my rough coming of age moment.

And to this day, I do not regret the beautiful turtle upon my shoulder.

So now, you must wonder what the insanity could be after all this talk of inner strength and enlightenment through a peaceful journey; well... I'm about to cross the depths out to the inner sanctum. Approximately 2 weeks till doomsday - and that would be the transition from my 20s to the ripe old age of 30.