Adventures in Living a Healthy, Juicy Life
by Cheryl Ragsdale
This weekend I had an opportunity to confront my notions about people who have tattoos. I don’t mean one or two tattoos. I mean like body coverage tattoos. I didn’t know I had issues with tattoos until I arrived at “Rock the Ink” expecting a Jiu Jitsu tournament.
I drove down to Providence to support the guys from my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu martial arts school in a “No Gi” (shirts optional) Grappling Tournament. I’ve been to a tournament before. I thought I knew what to expect.
Miss Tattoo Contestant
Walking into the venue, I noticed several police officers, lots of pink hair, men dressed all in black, a whole lot of tattoos, signs that said “No Colors” and Japanese anime style clothing on the girls. “I wonder where they’re going? Maybe there’s a concert around here today.”
I worried, as we all headed in the same direction. “Am I in the wrong place? How did I make this mistake?”
I bought a ticket, confirming with the agent that I was where I was supposed to be. Going up the escalator with the tattoo people, I got nervous. I’m not used to being around people with lots of tattoos. I have thoughts about what “those kind of people” are like.
Rock the Ink: Man with Mohawk and Tattoos with his girl
As we all headed to the same turnstile, I really got nervous. “OK,” I said to the security guard. “I’m here for a grappling competition. Are all of these people here for the same thing?”
“Yes”, he said and continued taking tickets.
I approached the main door. As I crossed the threshold, I bounced off an invisible force field. Light dawned as I realized what “Rock the Ink” meant. I approached the security guard again. “Hey! There’s no grappling contest in there! Everybody’s getting tattoos!”
Rock the Ink: man getting a tattoo
Patiently, he turned me around, and guided me back to the door. “Go straight down this aisle. At the end, turn left. You’ll find what you’re looking for.”
“Be brave, little soldier,” I thought to myself as I adjusted my clothing and squared my shoulders. I went in.
Rock the Ink: Woman with Tattoos helping a customer
Suddenly fascinated by the sound of whirring needles, I made my way down the aisle.
Rock the Ink: Woman tattoo Artist
Yikes! I covered my arms protectively, feeling like a blank canvas. At the end of the aisle, on the left, the grappling tournament was in full swing.
Miss Tattoo Contestants
To the right, another kind of contest was taking place. Miss Tattoo! I walked over to take a look.
*****
Rock the Ink: Miss Tattoo Contestants
I’m reminded of another time, I got self-righteous about something. I was visiting my friend, Bill. He showed me some photos of his favorite hobby – fishing. He had horrible dead fish, stuffed and hanging on the walls. I rolled my eyes. He pointed out a couple of small prints he was especially proud of.
I put my glasses on and squinted trying to see what was going on in the photo. “Oh, that’s nice. They’re pulling those whales back into the ocean.”
“No, Cheryl. They’re chopping them up while they’re still fresh.” Bill explained.
My head whipped around. “That’s disgusting.”
Miss Tattoo Contestant with Companion
Bill listened patiently to my heated opinion and then offered me lunch. “I have tuna or roast beef.”
I said “tuna” and he started laughing. “And what is so funny about that?”
“How do you think tuna got in the can, Cheryl?”
I never really thought about it to tell the truth. I laughed too as I realized my own hypocrisy. I’m happy to eat meat, fish or chicken as long as I don’t have to be the one killing it, preserving it and wrapping it up in cellophane.
Miss Tattoo Contestant
*****
And now, there I was at “Rock the Ink” learning another lesson about judging people based on appearances. No, I didn’t get any tattoos. Happy to admire other people’s and keep my body as a “No Tat” zone.
What notions are keeping you from trying new things? Look what I would have missed if I hadn’t walked through that door. Fear and lack of trust stop us from learning and growing. Experiment! Try something new! Have a conversation with someone unusual. Then tell us about it! We want to know! Please leave your comments on this page. Maybe you’ll inspire someone to do something they wouldn’t have done without you going first. How cool is that?
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Cheryl Ragsdale
email: cheryl@thatgirlisfunny.com
Cheryl Ragsdale enjoys making life fun. Sometimes, mellow pleases her. Usually, grunge works. Mostly, laughing is what’s needed. Whatever your mood, you’ll find something interesting on www.thatgirlisfunny.com
PS I’ll tell you about this Harley Davidson photo some other time.
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Jinxie,
Thank you! I’m moved by your understanding of my experience. You’ve made me glad that I shared this story. My eyes were opened to something new that day. I pushed through an edge I didn’t even know was there and made a new friend because of it. Life is a delicious voyage of discovery. Now that we’ve met, let’s stay connected,
Cheryl
Thank you so much for writing this piece, Cheryl. It was so fun to read and such a great glimpse into the day and into your thoughts as they were transformed throughout the “Rock the Ink” event. I also truly appreciate your honesty, because I do believe that it will open many minds or at least make others aware next time they are in a situation where most of the people around them are “different.”
We are all “different” in ways and I believe that’s what makes the world such an exciting and interesting place. On this day, I would have been one of the crowd because I am a heavily tattooed woman (from the ink on my head down to my feet)… but there are certainly MANY times when I feel like I’m in the minority. It’s ok though. I’m used to it. The stares, gasps, subtle (and not so subtle at times) remarks used to bother me… but I understand that not everyone is comfortable with seeing body ink to such a degree and so I have learned that the best way to deal with it is to just be kind, smile and realize that anyone who judges me based on my exterior ONLY is probably not someone I would really have time for in my life anyway. It’s almost like a great barometer of character.
I think that no matter where you are in life, what you look like or what you do, it’s an excellent lesson to remember your experience. It’s very easy to judge others when they are at all different from you and when we feel those little twinges of discrimination, it’s always best to remember that on the inside, we really aren’t that different from one another at all. Exteriors mean nothing when all is said & done… it’s what is inside that counts!!
Thanks again, girl!
You rock!
So great to “meet” you.
Winx, Jinxi
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