vent

Like I said last night, I have been wanting to pierce my nose for a really long time. I didn't just do it on a whim. It wasn't a last minute thing. Yesterday just happened to be the day that I passed a piercing/tattoo shop, thought about it, got really excited and decided to just do it. And my sister was there going,"Just do it!" :)
 So I've had a long time to think about it.  I went into it thinking,"I'm not going to try and explain myself if people have a problem with it." So I'm not trying to get people to change their mind, or "justify" anything. But I do want to say something about it, because some people have made comments concerning my lil nose.

I'm really liking my little nose stud. I really really do. It is fun to do something new and totally different.
I also know that some family and friends think I'm being rebellious.  I think there will be assumptions made, and I expected that. (But at the same time, lets not get cocky and assume my nose stud is all people will be talking about. I know no one really cares. I tend to over worry and over analyze, and these are just some thoughts that have entered my mind when wondering how others might react.)

 I don't believe it makes me look wild or that it affects my character in anyway. I know the mindset when it comes to things like this in the religion I was raised in and well, it makes sense to a degree, but at the same time, I think it's silly.

It crossed my mind that maybe people will be thinking,"What a bad example to her daughter. Look what she is teaching her." Trust me, I took that into account. And I thought...well, what AM I teaching Mae? Nothing. It doesn't go that deep. I have earrings in my ear, and now I have one in my nose. It's as simple as that, and that's how Mae sees it. It's not teaching her anything bad OR good. It just is. So what if Mae comes up to me when she's older and wants her nose pierced? (MUCH older)  I'll say,"Sure, as long as it's tasteful." It's a tiny little stud in the side of my nose. It's not a mountain, it's a molehill, if that.

Luckily, I have friends and family that love me because I'm Melissa. Not because I'm an artist, not because I like a certain TV show, not because of my spiritual beliefs, but because they love me for the person that I am. And I know there are people out there that don't have that blessing.

No, I'm not going to get any more piercings. My nose is as far as I will go with that. And no, I'm not going to get any tattoos. That is just not for me, but for those that DO have tattoos, more power to you!


I've had a lot on my mind lately, and I was talking to Tom about this whole piercing thing (which he loves, by the way) and just how we human beings automatically make judgements and assumptions, myself included. I've never been in a tattoo/piercing parlor and honestly, I had a preconceived notion of people that work and frequent those places. Not like they are BAD people, but I was just a little scared of them. ha ha. So I went in and I learned an important lesson that I hope I will continue learning. There are awesome, loving, wonderful people that come in all forms.
The guy that pierced my nose was so nice. He did everything he could to make me feel comfortable. His wife was there as well, and he said he had done 172 piercings on her! HOLY COW. Then he whipped out his book of piercings he has done. Honestly, I am not big on multiple piercings. The only ones I like are ears, nose and belly button. Other than that, its not my thing. I cannot believe the variety of different piercings, and lets just say I had to flip some of the pages over really fast. I do NOT understand why someone would want to get pierced in certain places. YIKES. Anyways, they were awesome and they just wanted to sit and chat with me and he was so passionate about what he does. Now, its not something I can understand, but its something I can respect for sure. I had so much fun meeting them and talking. And it made me realize that going into a tattoo parlor was no big deal. Just normal, every day people who are practicing a different kind of art form.

I am more just talking to myself in this post, getting stuff out of my head because my mind has been spinning with so many thoughts lately. In the last 3 or so months, I have been thrown into a position where I have been forced to open my eyes and look at things differently. And I like it. I feel more accepting, more open to other peoples beliefs and opinions and not so self righteous and stuck in my own little world. I feel like I have been very naive in a lot of ways. I always prided myself on being non judgmental, but I have realized that I was wrong about myself, and I am changing that. Things are hardly ever what we assume them to be.

I have been thinking about the concept of knowing. What do I REALLY know for sure? Not much, except I love my family and friends and would do anything to protect them. Do I know that God exists? No. Do I CHOOSE to believe in Him? Absolutely. There is very little in this life when it comes to spirituality and the workings of others minds and actions that we will understand and know for sure. At first that scared me, but now I find it exciting, like I have so much to learn and discover.

Anyways, if you've read all the way to this, thanks for listening. I have a hard time being open about certain things because I hate disappointing people. But I am learning that all I can do is what I think is right, what makes me happy, and what is best for my family. I have said things I didn't mean too many times just so I don't upset people or because I want to be liked, and that's just not a fun way to live.

Now I'm looking over this post and kind of giggling about it. Like my nose being pierced is going to start some kind of uproar. Screaming! Strikes! Shunning! Oh MY! :)

Finally,

the end.