What It Means

I’ve never been a huge tattoo fan, just not my thing. And yet, for the majority of my adult life, I’ve always wanted to get a very simple tattoo, a Yin Yang on my forearm that symbolizes a great deal for me.

This wasn’t a tattoo for anyone else, it was for me. It was to be a reminder.

Of what I’ve lost, and what I’ve gained. That no matter how bad or dark things get, they will improve. That for every act of evil we hear about, there are thousands of acts of good.

But most importantly, it reminds me that I was never whole before my family, before my wife, before my son, before the incoming twins.

That’s what the Yin Yang means to me.

And yesterday?

Well, yesterday Moss and Will took me to the tattoo shop and I became a man. A man who only cried a little.

-sohmer

-Because I Can.

Quote of the Day

“I finally came to the conclusion that he maybe he was right. Maybe there’s no such thing as heroes. Maybe there are just people like my dad. I finally came to understand why they were so uncomfortable being called heroes. Heroes are something we create, something we need. It’s a way for us to understand what’s almost incomprehensible, how people could sacrifice so much for us, but for my dad and these men, the risks they took, the wounds they suffered, they did that for their buddies. They may have fought for their country but they died for their friends. For the man in front, for the man beside him, and if we wish to truly honor these men we should remember them the way they really were, the way my dad remembered them.”
- from Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

• Frederbee

  Congrats, it looks great.

• disqus_wg3mj61H64

  What is that song?!

  • http://www.the-gutters.com sohmer

    Moss found it, and played it during the session. I’ll find out the name

  • RN

    tattoos – frank turner

• Chikasempai

  Congratulations. It’s nice you had support and friends to call you a wuss.
  I cried during my first tattoo, I also played on my DS. Good times, I should get my next tattoo soon…

• http://twitter.com/Hicksior Jason Driscoll

  Nice ink Sohmer, at least you didn’t fall asleep getting your ink done like I did! And having friends around makes it more interesting too, I just booked in and went. You just can not go wrong with that design can you.

• http://www.facebook.com/rj7766 Richard Edens

  Thats great… I have a half a Yin Yang on each forearm one with some water and one with some fire