Keeping up with the daily writing prompt is challenging on deadline days, but the paper is out and I’m returning to the page.
I’ve been wanting to touch up (or completely redo) the tattoo on my left shoulder that I got when I was 18. It’s a cross with a sun around it that’s beyond worn. You can still see the brown cross, but that’s about it. Next month, my stepdaughter Zhora Devi– a tremendously talented tattoo artist in Missoula – is going to fix it up. Instead of the old fading cross, it’ll be an acoustic guitar – one inspired by the Larrivée I’ve been playing almost 20 years. This guitar is in many ways an extension of myself, a companion and a trusted confidant.
It’s taken me a long time to decide what I wanted to replace my old tattoo with, and I’m glad I held off until now (I once contemplated getting a California Raisin. Can’t imagine that would age well).
This guitar tattoo has many layers to it. It speaks to my creative side and represents self-expression. It also honors my parents. My dad bought it from the Guitar Emporium in Louisville, Kentucky and surprised me with it on Mother’s Day, 2005. I was blown away, and instantly connected to it. Lately, however, I haven’t spent as much time with it. Moving to a new town, getting settled, keeping up with the demands of the job have taken a lot of time, but that’s turning around. Spring is here and I have shows coming up. Time to play and to celebrate music, family, life and love. This tattoo will always be a reminder of that, and I’m honored to have Zhora be the one to do it.
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