A tattoo is one of the most personal forms of self-expression I can think of. I don’t know any commitment adverse people getting tattoos — after all, it’s permanent ink — and my friends who have tattoos, have many. Tattoos have been around for more than 5,000 years. Mummies from ancient Egypt have been discovered with tattoos. According to a CNN article, tattoos in ancient times likely represented a symbol of power, status or superstition. In the 1800s, tattoos were associated with convicts or sailors; however, the subjects of the ink were usually positive messages of love or naval themes. Today, tattoos are commonplace, and most people are nonjudgmental about them, even if they don’t want a tattoo themselves. My friends with tattoos tell me that their first tattoo tended to have a significant meaning relating to their lives. The tattoos that followed may have a special meaning or just felt right to get in the moment. The last time I got a haircut, my stylist was wearing shorts and had my two favorite signs tattooed on her leg — a butterfly below her knee and beneath that a rose. I liked her even more — if that’s possible. I didn’t expect to be seeing signs at the hair salon. Tattoos represent souvenirs of our lives — an image of someone important to us, a phrase or symbol that resonates, or simply being bored and making stick-and-poke designs. In addition to personal meaning, like all art, tattoos bring people together to share stories and see signs.