Tuesday 21 May 2013

Tattoo Tuesday 2

After the last three gruelling years of gargantuan writing, health and personal pressure, 2013 has so far been characterised by a great big zero. 

I've done nothing new, niksde nada, zilch, niente and nichts since the year began. 


And I've surprised myself with how chilled I've been about going with the flow and just enjoying the time to live each day as it happens. 

As the old Sanskrit proverb goes :

"Look well to this day, for it is life, the very life of life. 
In it lies all the realities and verities of existence:
 the bliss of growth, the glory of action, splendour of beauty. 
For yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow only a vision. 
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness 
and every tomorrow a vision of hope. 
Look well, therefore, to this day, for it and it alone is life!

In fact, I've been enjoying doing nothing so much I got worried and, when my 79 year old Mom decided to get her tattoo (read more here) I was inspired to give myself some permanent writing motivation ... and I got tattooed !! 

The photos of my tattoos didn't come out well but, on my right wrist, in  white ink:  
Find your passion 

This tattoo (which is MUCH nicer than it shows in the photo!) comes from my grandfather My grandfather had a passion for riding horses. His dream was to be a jockey, but his la-de-da family said “We don’t ride horses in races, we only breed ‘em. You will be a doctor/politician like the rest of the family!” Well, my poor grandfather became the black sheep of the family; he never did find his passion and, sadly, ended up with a serious alcohol addiction which plagued him his whole life. He said to me:

Find your passion
Do not hesitate
Do not judge
Deliver the goods, for heaven’s sake! 

I think it’s about time I listened to my ancestors and “deliver the goods, for heaven’s sake!”  As I write by hand with my right hand, I thought that was a good tattoo to have on that arm.

On my left wrist, also in white ink (and much more attractive than the photo shows it) the tattoo is: 

Move Mountains

These past few years, with so many losses, joys and unexpected endings, the question has come up for me over and over again: what is my real destiny?  What is the meaning of my life? Am I here to keep others happy, or to move mountains? 

Becoming a successful writer in a world where readers are becoming scarcer then hen's teeth and everyone is writing and publishing their own Great Novel, to keep on writing and publishing my work requires the kind of faith talked about in Matthew 17:20

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 

In other words : in writing, nothing is impossible and having faith (in my writing and in myself as writer) will remove obstacles, even those the size of mountains!

As I hunker down to start work on my next novel, nothing like a permanent reminder tattooed onto my wrists to remind me that to live this one, ordinary life well, to live the life I'm meant to live, I must write from my deepest passion. And I must hold onto the faith that one day, perhaps only in a future that I will never see, my writing will move mountains.

10 comments:

CA Heaven said...

"Find your passion" is a great line. I certainly agree.

I haven't got any tattoos, except the ones we made with marker pens when I was a kid, but they're all gone now >:)

Cold As Heaven


Linda Cassidy Lewis said...

I've never seen a tattoo in white ink! Lovely.

May those inspirational words move your hands across the keyboard (or paper) to produce another beautiful novel, soon.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Wonderful Tattoos! I would like to have one, but am scared of the pain.

Best wishes with your new novel.

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

COLD: Whaaat? No tattoos, except those that have washed off? I'm disappointed! :) :) (only kidding!)

LINDA: I love the white ink, it makes it private (well, as private as something I've put up on my blog can be!) The photos don't do the white ink justice, but it's really pretty. (so pretty I'm admiring them all the time instead of writing, must get started, just need to apply ABC of writing!)

SHARON: I was too but watching my 79 year old Mom chat away while the tattoo artist worked on her made me brave! The first letter stung a bit but after that I hardly felt anything. So what tattoo will you have?? :)

Juliet said...

Judy, you are so right about the need to live from one's deepest passion. I identify totally with the words you've had tattooed on your wrists. As fellow-writer, I know how important it is to keep faith and keep working. I wish you well with the next book.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Judy - white ink .. that's interesting .. and I'm so pleased you're pleased with them - and Beric?!

Find your passion - is so important .. we can so easily drift and let the hours, days and years pass.

Move mountains - overcome our own fears, put aside the naysayers .. I am sure you'll lay your grandfather's demons to rest - keep on going... and keep on writing - you have so much depth to give us ...

I did so love Dancing in the Shadows of Love ...

Great that you know Robyn so well too ... Cheers Hilary

Patricia said...

I do not think my comment posted...but I did like your white tattoos..and reminders...

Do you know Sir Ken Robinson's book THE ELEMENT ? All about finding one's passion I reviewed it many years ago on a referral from Hilary

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

JULIET: Thanks for the good wishes with my next book – it should have been written a year ago but, well, life happens! Good luck with your writing too!

HILARY: Yes, Robyn & I are old (!) blogging friends! Always good to connect in another corner of blogland. And Beric (ever the accountant and lawyer!) just blinked when I showed him my tattoos :)

PATRICIA: I didn’t know it, but have gone off to find it! :)Thanks for the heads up - it looks good and I've now ordered it.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I am visiting on the recommendation of Hilary Melton-Butcher :) she just placed your link on my recent post about deciding to get a tattoo. I lloveb how you've chosen something with such meaning. Very inspiring :-)

Judy Croome | @judy_croome said...

OPTIMISTIC -I hope you love your own tattoo when you get it done!:)