The inked memorial
When your heart is on your arm.
The highlight of my workweek is treating myself to a Trippy Hippie smoothie at Extreme Juice in Tampa. There’s something about the concoction of kale, low fat yogurt and peanut butter in an icy whirl that delights me. And the fun flavor name lets me feel a little radical each time I order one.
While waiting in line line the other day to order the routine deliciousness, I stood behind a man in conversation with a friend and noticed a large tattoo on his arm and the words, “RIP Larry.” Curious about the symbols that lined his arm I spontaneously interrupted their conversation and asked who Larry was. To my surprise, he responded, “Larry is my Dad,” and he excitedly continued to tell me stories about each part of his inked memorial. Favorite sports teams they adored together, road trips full of adventure, and of a Mom who loved and misses this giant in their lives.
“I tell stories about him all the time and the tattoo is my invitation to talk about him,” he said.
“You know they never leave us,” I responded.
“You’re right, my dad is always with me through the stories,” he said.
Introducing myself, I thanked him for sharing his message with a stranger and mentioned I had written a book about the stories of my father and asked if I could take a photo of his indelible mark for my blog. “Sure,” he said, with an ounce of pride that every artist knows when someone notices their work.
Thinking about Ben and the millions of people that have inked their bodies with memories of a loved one, or written a memoir, or started a foundation in honor of a dear one lost, each has much to teach us. In the words of country singer, Jake Rose, in his song “Sleeves”:
“It’s my life, the things I love, the people that I’ve lost. It’s the lessons that I’ve learned that ain’t ever coming off. No matter what you think, this is more skin deep. It’s why it’s there, why I wear, my heart on my sleeves. Like a prayer, why I wear, my heart on my sleeves.”
More than radical, love on the inside worn outside is real.