Truth 2:

When my mom and I finally got home, my sister Laura had a surprise for ALL of us: SHE had been to "Doctor Julian's Black Lotus Tattoo", as well... On the SAME day as me?!? To get a tattoo she has wanted and had in the making for TWO YEARS?!? If misery loves company, then I'm LOVING this! I felt like I had just been through battle, and now had a WAR BUDDY to reminisce with. *laughing*

A young tattoo artist by the name of Brian, who has only been with Black Lotus for a few years, tattooed my lil' sis... and it took FIVE WHOLE HOURS to do so. And the clincher?!? It only cost her $150 to get the thing!!! The letters/words are SO finely detailed, I HONESTLY don't know how in the HELL he got them to turn out the way he did! Kudos, Laura. As my friend Joseph would say, "O-de-lay!" SUCH a surprise.

"Felix the Tat", on the other hand, charged me $300 for MINE, and rightfully so. He has the artistry and the expertise to do such a good job that, as he put it, "Your tattoo will last LONGER THAN YOU DO." I only hope that my friends and family do enough things that I disapprove of (after my death), so that they will cause me to "Roll over in my grave"... so that I can:
1.) Join the ranks of the living dead, and
2.) Reap the added bonus of allowing everyone to see my sweet tattoo.
HAHA! *wink*

The BEST thing?!? Her tattoo is beautiful, perfect on her. And mine is on me. They are absolutely, TOTALLY different, and yet have almost the same message for each of us, which is this: Find your strength. We all have it, we just have to FIND it. And remember that our lovely time here on this earth is finite, and you can NOT put off living until a later date. Do it TODAY. Do it NOW! :)

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In case anyone was wondering, Laura's tattoo says (in beautiful, graceful old-English-style writing):

"Never lived in fear / Knew I'd die another day / Never viewed my life / as something / slipping away." :)