It’s true. At the ripe old age of 58 I got my first tattoo. Now I get it. I really can’t stop looking at it after a week has passed. I confess, I’m looking at what other areas of my ample body that I might want to embellish next. I was warned, told that it would be addictive. I guess I thought that meant people go back for more and more ink because they enjoy the pain. Wrong! We (proudly declared as part of the club now) like art on our skin. How’s that for speaking for anyone who has ever gotten a tattoo?

First of all, it really didn’t hurt. Granted, I had about 8 simple lines and a letter delicately tattooed on my wrist so the less than 10 minutes of actually getting the tattoo was pretty minimal. I thought it was a lot less painful than when they stick your finger at a blood donation center to see if you have enough red blood cells to give a donation. Because it was such a small design I didn’t get the swelling and scabbing that they warn you about and I didn’t have to worry about not scratching at it as it healed. At its worst it felt slightly embossed.

The parlor I went to Twenty Twelve Tattoo Company had all the usual skull and bones tough tattoos displayed about, but the absolutely stunning office manager (owner?) put me at ease immediately. They have a nice space in which the girls work upstairs, the guys downstairs.

I had chatted with the office manager, whose name escapes me now, on the phone before coming in and sent over what I was looking to have done. She paired me up with the delightful Cally who came down with her tablet and fiddled with the design, incorporating Dan’s suggestions expertly. From there Dan and I went upstairs to the lovely, clean, light filled space which was not at all what I expected. She got me comfortable, chatting cheerfully and made me feel confident about the process, which she explained in detail before we started. She cleaned her workspace and wrapped anything she would touch with Saran Wrap. She probably went through a half a roll of paper towels in the 15 minute cleaning process. There was no doubt in my mind that the space and instruments were clean.

It was time to begin. She applied a stencil of the design and assured us that if we didn’t like it, we could change it without any difficulty. That was not a problem, she nailed the design and placement on the first try. She then gently began with the smallest of dots on my wrist to make sure that I didn’t back out after feeling what it would be like. I was so relieved to find it was barely a discomfort, certainly something easily tolerated. She hunched over my wrist in earnest after that, needling and wiping excess ink continuously as she worked. In under 10 minutes we were inspecting the finished product and declaring it finished.

Time for the after care lecture. She made sure that we were completely comfortable with the basic instructions so that the tattoo would heal nicely and the design would stay sharp and dark. A little nappy balm and not soaking it or scratching at it were the sun total of the instructions. Easy peasy. As I mentioned, it has been over a week and I really didn’t get the scabbing and itchiness she warned us about. I do believe that’s because of the fine lines and minimal ink.

As we left, Cally informed me I was officially 10 percent tougher now that I had my first ink. I felt giddy with relief and the pleasure of having exactly what I wanted tattooed on my wrist. It was years in the making because I was excruciatingly aware of how permanent a tattoo is and I could never decide if I would want something marking me for life.

So what did I get and why? Here it is.

A very simple compass representing what will be the 5 years of nomadic life that Dan and I have undertaken. 2 tiny dots at the base of the North/South axis represent the two of us on the journey together. It’s very simple, I think it’s feminine and elegant and after looking at compass designs for 5 years or so this particular design was just right the moment I saw it. We’ll see how long it takes before I am back for another!