Blooming

Day 16

"A flower blossoms for its own joy" Oscar Wilde

I did not get my first tattoo until my early 30's. For years, I just could not think about what I'd want on my body forever. However, I then got this permanent thing, but on the premises that it would not be visible, would be in a place that would not sag, and, if I hated it, no one could see it. What a way to commit!

Afterwards, I had tattoo remorse for deciding not to have something I really liked to be more visible (even just for my eyes.) I knew I wanted to keep a theme of nature and one day I found the perfect botanical drawing. The photo above is of my second and possibly most favorite tattoo. At first, I knew that I just liked it. I was very drawn to it's simplicity and thought that the placement was perfect. But of course, overtime, people would often ask "What does it mean?" I hadn't thought about it deeply at first, and then I looked at it and said "It's a branch with buds, showing that life is constantly blooming."

Since then, the concept of constantly being in bloom has always been at the forefront for me. With every stage of life there is an opportunity to grow. The greatest potential is in the buds on a stem, versus the rose that has fully opened. Both are set for change, but just at different stages. Life is a constant rotation of birth and rebirth, so whenever there is a transition to a new birth or new phase, that simply means there's another bud waiting to bloom.

"If you tend to a flower, it will bloom, no matter how many weeds surround it." Matshona Dhliwayo

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