Pain is Temporary...Right?

As I laid on my couch in the fetal position, I couldn’t help but wonder “When will this pain go away?”

I’ve never considered myself much of a tough guy: I am scared to death of bee stings, being pinched is one of the worst pains I’ve ever experienced, and when I was a younger more fearless type, I was never one to engage in fights or other violence that could potentially hurt me. On the other hand, maybe it’s simply the perception of certain pains that I’m afraid of. After all, I can anticipate the sting of a bee, the burn of a pinch, or the crunch of my nose as someone’s fist makes contact to my less than hard to locate proboscis. I can also anticipate the pain of getting a tattoo, which undoubtedly hurts far more, and for a much longer time, than either of the previously mentioned pains. But the pain of a tattoo has never steered me away from getting one. In fact, sometimes when I’ve gotten tattoos, I’ve gotten them because of the pain. Not necessarily because of the pain that receiving a tattoo causes, but because of the pain I’m experiencing at that point in my life.

People get tattoos for various reasons, and being someone with tattoos, I’m often asked “what does that mean?” or “what does that stand for?” While I prefer to keep the meaning of my tattoos to myself, I’ll share a bit about my philosophy.  My tattoos are primarily life event tattoos. I can remember, quite specifically, what was happening in my life when I received each of my tattoos (even my first, which goes back over 18 years). The one common denominator that my tattoos have, outside of a specific period in my life, is trust. After all, if you’re going to allow someone to drill permanent ink into your skin, you’re going to need some degree of trust right? But I’m not necessarily speaking about trust in the artist (that’s there to a certain extent). I’m talking about trust in the universe.

We all know the saying “shit happens”? (If not check here for a refresher). Well “it” certainly does; usually when we least expect it. The approach I take when “it” happens? Trust.

I’m not necessarily an “everything happens for a reason” guy, in the sense that the universe has a grand plan for everyone.  I believe that everything does happen for a reason; and that reason can usually be tracked to actions and consequences of those actions, either by you or someone else. So when “it” does happen, you’ve just got to trust that things will get better and begin to take the actions which support that.

About three months ago I got a new tattoo; I was looking forward to the pain. I anticipated the pain from the tattoo; it was as I remembered. The pain from my tattoo has long disappeared…but there was no anticipating this pain…I trust this too shall pass.