The Tattoo July 31, 2024

For the last year or so I have been thinking, since I am almost finished with this body, maybe it would be fun to see why so many people are getting tattooed. I thought maybe I would like to get an image of something about meditation put on my forearm. This could serve as a practical reminder for me to be present in whatever I am doing.

I started researching possible images and I found this as a possibility: a symbol of mindfulness:

The symbol would be meaningful to me, but not to most people.

Next, I was thinking of how I might find a place to get it done. I went on Yelp and looked at reviews of places in Santa Rosa, which was a bit overwhelming. Not only is there choosing the shop, but also choosing the artist who would do the work. I kind of put the whole thing on the shelf, not sure what I was looking for. Until...

June and I played golf at Windsor in early May 2024. We were on the first tee waiting for the fairway to clear, and this 35ish dude walks up, very friendly and outgoing, and asks if he could join us. I said sure before June had a chance to figure out a way to say "No thanks!" She is usually very open to new people but she absolutely does not like playing golf with strangers, especially guys who look like they might be very good. This guy did not look the part, as he had several tattoos visible on his arms and legs. Around the 2nd or 3rd hole, I raised the topic of tattoos with him. "Where did you get them?"

"Well, from various places actually. But I have my own shop now in Santa Rosa."

So I start talking with him about my recent interest in tattoos. He told me that you definitely want to feel comfortable with the person who will be putting ink into your skin. As he handed me his business card, he encouraged me to come into his shop and hang out there with him for awhile and "feel the vibe".

I made contact with Troy, from Tattoo Haven, about a week after that. Troy's shop is in a beautiful setting, upstairs in an old building on 4th St. in the middle of downtown Santa Rosa. He shares the building with Thai House, a wonderful restaurant that June and I have visited many times. The shop is very open and spacious. Although when I visited Troy was doing a large tattoo on a guy, he took a short break to spend a few minutes with me. He offered me a shot of whiskey which I reluctantly declined.

He told me that he spends a couple of days booking sessions for a couple of months of work, and then he just focuses on doing tattoos. So when I decide to get one, the booking would be a couple months from then. So right then and there, I got on his calendar for July 31, about 2 months away.

We talked a little about what I wanted. I showed him the above image, and he suggested something with similar meaning but a little more compelling like this:

But there would be plenty of time for me to think about it. And we parted ways. All future communication would be by text until July 31 in his shop.

I immediately started looking around for other possible Mindfulness tattoos. After several days of ON and OFF searching, I finally found the one:

Since I started meditating around 2000, I have been inspired by statues or images of the Sitting (Meditating) Buddha.

So I texted him the above image. I also said that I didn't want the word 'Karma' and therefore the Buddha could be a bit larger to fill the circle. Also, I said I don't need the 'brushed' circle, but he said that a circle frames it nicely. I became curious as to why the circle was 'brushed-looking'? So on a hunch that it might have special meaning, I googled 'Buddhist circle'. And it does, so I decided that I DID like it! See Enso circle.

He concluded that doing the tattoo would be no problem, and that we would talk more about the details as we got closer to the date. About a week before the date, the enormity of putting something on my arm that I would look at for the rest of my life began to sink in. I reached out to him again with a lot of questions. He said that he would make a stencil of the artwork by Friday and send it to me. And we could talk about it then.

Here is the stencil:

I texted him that I liked the Buddha, but what about the halo and the white outline. He said the colors will be added at the time, and the black halo outline will not appear.

And can you fill in the circle a bit more? Yes he can easily fill in the circle on the fly.

I apologized for the many questions, and he said that he completely understood, it being my first time and all.

BTW: He charges $200 / hour for doing the inking. This could go over an hour. I said,  "By all means, Take your time!!"

Finally the day arrived. I was a bit nervous, not so much about the pain, but about the potential of leaving with a tattoo that I would be disappointed with - for the rest of my life. As the process moved along, I became a lot more confident in his workmanship. Here's the process:

• There was a bit of paperwork to fill out. Basically disclaimers.
• We talked about size, orientation, and placement of the tattoo. He never asked which arm, but I kept holding out my left arm, so I guess he just figured that must be the arm. Turns out, the best place is NOT really in the middle of the forearm, but more to the left side as you hold it out. Also, apparently I am a bit different in that I want to look at it on my forearm in the correct orientation. When I show it to someone else, it will appear upside down. After all, I am the one who is inspired by the image.
• Troy printed out 3 different sizes of the stenciled image onto paper. He cut them out and held them up to my arm. I chose the middle one; big enough to fill my forearm but no bigger.
• He took the correct sized stencil and placed it into a 'carbon copy' type of sandwich, then with a special printer, transferred the stencil onto a carbon copy paper. He then placed the carbon paper carefully onto my arm in the correct location and pressed it to leave a very clear impression of the stencil on my arm. We went to the mirror as I held up my forearm for us both to see. I said it looked good. He said the circle looked a bit 'wonky', meaning oblong. When he pointed it out, I saw it. He quickly wiped it off with alcohol. He explained that he was stretching the skin slightly when it went on, and it must have been more one way than the other. He wiped the impression from my arm and tried again. Perfect! That's why you go to a professional.
• With the stencil on my arm, we were ready to go. He offered me a shot of whiskey, which I again declined, but with the caveat that I may need it later. He made me comfortable in a recliner chair with my arm rested on a flat table where the armrest would be. We chose the most vibrant orange that he had. The other colors to be inked were standard black and white. He dipped his machine in the black ink and went to work.
• He pulled up in a few seconds, wiped the image lightly to remove excess ink, and asked, "How's that feel?"
• "Not as bad as I imagined", I replied. He told me that it wears you down over time though. So we would be taking breaks as needed. Mine was a small tattoo, so it won't get too much worse. I told people afterwards that the pain was a 3 on a 1 to 10 scale.
• We chatted about all sorts of things as he worked. Our similar philosophies about Golf, how he got into the business, and his experiences with getting tattoos. He said once that the entire several hours he was being worked on, the artist was listening to earbuds! YIKES!! I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Troy and watching him work. But I was quiet and still while he did the last step: a very thin white outline around the Buddha. I didn't want to be responsible for messing that up!
• He finished the artwork in 45 minutes!! (But I gladly paid him for the hour).
• The next step was to clean it up. He soaked a cloth in Bactine and wiped the needle-pummeled area of my forearm. That was the most intense pain I felt all morning, but fortunately it only lasted for a few seconds.



• Then he said he will take a picture of it. He explained that the tattoo won't be much to look at for about a week as it seeps and heals under the wrap. So, in the meantime, this would be the best way to show my friends. We stepped into his dark room where he takes pictures. He explained that, in the light of day, there would be glare off the newly-inked surface. He took a couple of pictures with his phone and a flashlight. And I was delighted!

• Then the bummer part: taking care of the wound. He applied a very stretchy, sticky plastic wrap called Saniderm. It is like the stuff you cover leftovers with, but thicker and medical grade. It comes on a paper backing, so he pulled it tightly over the wound, then peeled off the backing. He said leave it on for 5 days. Don't submerge it in water, but I can take a shower because it is waterproof. After 5 days, remove it in the shower, clean up the wound with soap, and you're good to go.
• That was on Wednesday. It is now Friday afternoon and I have been reading online about 'new tattoo care', and it is certainly NOT that easy. Online they are adamant to NOT exercise or get sweaty for the first 5 days because sweat happens UNDER the plastic wrap. Right after the tattoo session on Wednesday, I stopped by Chris' house. He had some time on his hands so we decided it would be a good time to level the two big, hard mounds of dirt in the back section of his yard. I took off my shirt, borrowed some boots and gloves, and dug in the dirt in 85 degree weather for the next two hours. Then on Thursday morning, I went to the club to play pickleball for 2 hours.
• Here is what it looks like now with the wrap:

I'm told the black smudging is ink and plasma which will come right off.

Coincidentally, I just remembered why I wanted it on my left arm: Just in case something goes sideways and I lose my arm, I don't want it to be my right (dominant) arm!

Here's a cool YouTube video of Tattooing and how it works.