I met this lovely young woman at the quilt show today. She had the most amazing 'sleeve' tattoo on her arm that immediately caught my eye. Before I describe it, I have to say I had a conversation with my 30 something kids this weekend saying I just didn't get these big tattoos every young person seems to be sporting these days. I felt like my grandmother complaining about Mitzi Gaynor's bare legs. And, boy, did I think she (my grandmother) was out of it. Back to this beautiful piece of art on skin: it was colors, soft greens and pinks (maybe?), some blue?, but it was also about the design; scissors covering a bicep, a spool of thread with a needle through it, and a measuring tape wound around it all. Check it out here.
As you can see, I haven't been motivated to post in a very long time, but meeting this young woman, Brooke, has stirred things up for me. Her 'package' was what I always felt was inside me but could never express. Things are so relaxed nowadays even though I was a teen in the 60's (late 60's that is) and some remember that as a very relaxed time. I WANTED to dye my hair and wear different clothes, but I just couldn't, shouldn't. Well, if hydrogen peroxide counts, I guess I did once. I think I was too afraid of what people would think. It wasn't done in those days. You know, "only her hairdresser knows for sure" attitude prevailed. It was just really cool to see that the way I thought of myself inside then was present in front of me today in living color. Cool.
I still don't think of myself as old on the inside, though I surely am on the outside. I've heard more than one older person say that, and I plan to continue to think 'young' even if I don't express it in sleeve tattoos or clothing designed with the twenty something in mind. I think I can create a bit of wiggle room between 'age appropriate' and 'thinking young', don't you? At least I'll continue to try.
