What my tattoo means to me.

Under a year ago, my best friend and I got tattoos together (because what else are two single people supposed to do on Valentines Day?). I got my favourite quote tattooed on my forearm that reads "Living is easy with eyes closed."

Yes, Beatles fans, it is in fact a lyric from John Lennon's "Strawberry Fields Forever."

Now here is why I both hate and love my tattoo.

The one thing that drives me insane about it is how everyone questions why I got it (I guess that's just the price you pay when you get a tattoo in such a visible spot.

"Living is easy with eyes closed, huh? Let me give it a try then," remarks one smart-ass customer I had to deal with at work as he shuts his eyes and trips over the closest shoe rack.

And the sad thing is this has happened on more than one occasion.

Now, here is the reason why I love my tattoo.

It's for me and not for anyone else (and I mean this in a non-selfish way... if that's even possible).

For one, it's a constant reminder of how big of a step it was for me to endure the pain of getting the tattoo when so many people were more than certain that I wouldn't do it.

And then there is the deeper meaning beyond the ink.

This quote can be interpreted in so many ways and that's one of the reasons I got it tattooed. It doesn't literally mean shutting your eyes and walking around like an idiot. It's a reflection of the most beautiful and most emotional moments in our lives that happen with our eyes closed.

We dream with our eyes closed
We cry with our eyes closed
We scream with our eyes closed
We kiss with our eyes closed
We pray with our eyes closed

It's a reminder of both the greatest moments in my life and some of the hardships I've had to overcome.

The tattoo is also an escape for me.

The song "Strawberry Fields Forever" is about John Lennon's childhood and how free he was
as a child. Being able to run off to the park close to his home called 'Strawberry Fields' without a care in the world.

Whenever I find myself stressed about something, I like to think back to that time when everything seemed easier. The full lyric reads: "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see." As you get older, you begin to recognize all the things that are wrong in the world. As a child, typically you're oblivious to anything that doesn't have a direct relation to you. When you're young, the world is yours and yours alone.

So whenever I find myself overwhelmed by something or I'm low on motivation, that lyric sparks something within me and inspires me to keep going no matter what the world is trying to throw at me. Although things would be easier if I were to throw everything away, this tattoo is a constant reminder that I can do anything if I really push myself forward.


And that is what my tattoo means to me.