One could say that I am not particularly spiritual. The concept of a God has always been very "foggy" to me and reading the stories about a tattoo or a piercing being spiritually elevating was once kind of a joke to me. How can a piece of metal or a drop of ink in your skin change and lift up you mind? Well I guess my philosophy and experiences have brought me a little closer to wisdom.
At A Glance Author Stephanie LaPierre Contact [email protected] When N/A Location Montreal Eight years ago, I went to get a tattoo with my at-the-moment best friend. We strolled in a shop and chose a little tribal design to seal our friendship; a design we chose to have inked under our bra strap, next to the breast. A little secret kept near our heart. With the years, the friendship and the tattoo faded. I have no regrets as I loved this person like no-one else.
A year later, when I moved to the city to study, I decided to get my left nostril pierced. It was "in" and not very common amongst my friends, plus it was my act of rebellion. I had moved from a small town to this huge city and the first plan was to change my identity and leave my past 600 kilometres away. Little did I know; the past stays and sticks to your back until it is resolved! Well, since I couldn't forget it, I could modify this identity for the future. But I didn't know it at the time. I just wanted to be cool and different from the crowd and wanted everyone to see it. A piercing sounded just as wild as a jump from a plane: just a little less expensive and a lot more permanent!
Until very recently, the only holes I had on my body were the ones the nature had given me and 6 more: my nostril and 5 in my ears. This was enough for the little straight-conservative-married girl I was. Today, at age 26, things have changed. Still happily married and quite conservative, I've been working for a big bank for 5 years (celebrated this "funerary" anniversary last week) and I pretty hate it. There is no more challenge in my job and the people I work with � at least most of them � are so hypocritical and conservative, it is scary! But like many of us, I depend on this salary to pay for a roof, and my debts. Needless to say, I needed a boost, something to "shake my tree". Coward enough to not look elsewhere for a better job, I still wanted a move and I thought: "If a get a piercing on my face, let's say the eyebrow, what would they say?"
I embarked this journey with my little sister; she was there to kick start and reveal my inner power. She wanted her nose pierced and I went for the eyebrow. I wanted to provoke the people I worked with but it didn't quite work... Between the I-love-it and the It-must-have-hurt from my friends, I got little to no reaction. Deception...and not. It is quite selfish to think that everyone would have a comment on my brow... My world doesn't revolve around them and their world doesn't turn around me, does it? Well you know, I still felt alive, more than ever!!! See it or not, I'm a different person now; this is the new me!
And that is the point. Feeling alive. Everyone should do what makes them feel alive and you know, to a certain extent, feeling alive IS spiritual. After my eyebrow, I felt so good that I wished I would have been game enough to scream it at everyone's face! A month later, I took an appointment for my tongue... The pain scored a little higher on my "pain-scale", but it was worth it. Another hole to make me feel a little holier... *laugh*
Now that the holes are dug, I see more of myself. This "work in progress" has just started. I'll soon get another tattoo, bigger and a lot more meaningful than the first one. All these energizing modifications will, hopefully, give me the strength I need to find a new job. Or simply overcome the fear and accomplish my dreams. And I think it started... One day, I would like to become a writer and today, I decided I was worth your time � and mine! All that even tough I'm a French speaking girl and that my written English may be weird at some point. Today, I'm a new person. Slightly modified, a lot more confident and as a pop signer once sang "I am stronger than yesterday"! At 26, I'm starting to be a woman, starting to be the woman I want to be and you know, I certainly feel spiritual...
Today, I'm alive and kicking!
Sincerely and happily modified,
Stephanie