At the beginning of August, I finally did something that I’ve been wanting to do for years. I mean like, seriously, since I entered college, and that was getting a tattoo. I always knew I wanted an arrow because its meaning is special to me. And better yet, it is also special to my mom so we got to experience our first inking together.

An arrow symbolizes to keep moving forward. A message so short, but has so much power to it. 

My family and I choose to keep moving forward in our struggles, especially with FA. We always remain positive and enjoy life. Of course, my brother and I’s experiences with everyday living are different from the rest of us but I say “we” because FA affects us all by having someone we love go through it. Sure, FA is not fun, but that does NOT mean we pity or feel sorry for ourselves!

My mom and I decided to get this tattoo together, as we have similar journeys with FA, yet we’re also on different paths which is why we added our own twists to the arrow. It was important to us to have the same feathers, as we look at it as an angel surrounding us, and the same swirls to express how life is not always a straight path. Yup, I guess you can say we really thought this through!

Since I was little, whenever I was having my not-so-great days, I would say that I felt “blah.” I still call it that actually, it’s a habit… 

Sometimes my “blah” days are related to FA, and sometimes they have absolutely nothing to do with it. Recently I’ve had some “blah” days, and most of the time I just wanna lay in bed, read a book or watch a show, and ignore the world… and you know what, that’s exactly what I do, BUT not for too long because then it’s time to get back up and keep pushing through.

I’ve heard people say that sometimes you have no choice when inevitable challenges come our way, but I don’t believe that’s true. Yes, we don’t get to choose our obstacles in life but we do choose how to react and respond to it. 

It’s nice to know that I now have a lil reminder on me to keep moving forward. I’m so happy with my first tattoo, that I’m not going to lie, I’m already thinking about my next one LOL. Of course, with a special meaning behind a tattoo, I’m sure the right idea will come!