So...You Wanna Know the Why Behind the Fish? Alright. I'll Tell You.

I've had several people ask about my tattoo.

Either they are seriously curious about my choice of ink and placement, or they are so shocked that I would actually follow through and get one.....whichever...

Here's the back story.

I'm a bit of a rebel at heart.  I know, shocking, right?  Not if you know me well. 

I'm a boundary pusher.  One foot over the fence on most days.  And I'm not even sure how my parents are still sane after having raised me.  Bless their hearts.  So to come home with a tattoo wasn't really a stretch.  It tends to be how I roll.

So...you've asked:

Why a tattoo? 
I've always wanted a tattoo.  Thankfully, I didn't follow my rebel spirit in my high school/college days or right now I'd be sporting some weird back tattoo of a fairy princess dancing on a daisy.  You think I'm kidding.

But my want for some ink has never really gone away.  My thoughts have just moved from weird statement-making to wanting something classy and that held meaning for me.  And I wanted a design that would carry its meaning with me as I got older.  (You know...because that dancing fairy probably wouldn't be so cute on a 90 year old body. Just sayin'.)

Why an ichthus?
The "Jesus Fish" has always held amazing symbolism for me.  I love the history of that particular symbol in our Christian heritage.  During the early days of Christianity, our sisters and brothers many times had to worship in secret, and a fish was the symbol that the people used to identify each other.  Fish on doors symbolized a secret place of worship or a fish drawn in sand would signal fellow believers.  (To read more about the ichthus and its place in Christian Church history, go here.)

Like I said, I wanted a design that would carry its weight throughout my entire life, what with tattoos being permanent and all, and the Jesus Fish fit the bill for me.  I feel so blessed to not live in a society where my faith must be kept hidden and that symbols are what have to be used to identify my beliefs, but, at the same time, I wanted my dedication to Christ to be obvious to even those that may only ever see me in passing.  (Please understand that I KNOW that Christ being evident in my life shows by the fruit that I bear and by my daily walk with Jesus, not by ink on my foot, but I wanted my tattoo to be a quick marker of my faith.)

Why the foot?
I don't come up with many good ideas on my own.  I'm a copy-cat by nature.  So, I'll give credit for this where credit is due.  One of my old pastor's daughters actually has this same tattoo.  And I always found myself admiring it and thinking that when/if I got my tattoo that I would want one like hers.  It was small and classy, and it meant something. 

And the more I thought about it...it made sense to me.  Since I was going for the outward symbol of where I place my faith, then I wanted people to see it.  And I am SO not an arm girl.  No judgement here, folks, it just isn't my cup of tea.  But what I am is a flip flop girl....and I knew that I could still appear classy and mature and respectable with the very small foot tattoo (strategically placed to look cute with flip flops, mind you!).

So there you have it.  Why the fish. Why the foot.  Why the ink. 

See?

Well thought out and meaningful. 

Ain't no dancing fairy.