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Greg’s Centaur Tattoo

First things first: it’s a centaur, and there’s more to it on the sides. This is the unfinished pic; the rest is currently healing up.

Now, as to the why… The short and sweet version is that I’m a Sagittarius. The long version is a bit more complex, as well as revealing: To start, I’m Greek and a fan of greek mythology. In said mythology, centaurs were nasty, vile creatures, who spent the majority of their time engaged in unsavory pursuits, such as murder, pillaging, marauding, rape, and drunken lunacy.

There was one, however, who was different. His name was Chiron, and he was wise and peaceful. He was the personal tutor to some of the greatest heroes of ancient Greece, including Achilles and Ajax, famed from the Trojan War.

The tattoo serves as my reminder that, regardless of what others may think we will be, or what assumptions they make in regards to how we will conduct ourselves, it is possible to be other than what we are considered to be, to rise above our base natures and strive for the betterment, not only of ourselves, but, more importantly, those that are around us.

The tattoo was done by my good friend Tom Kiernan, owner of Mean Machine
Tattoo, Tampa, FL., in two sessions, totalling about 6:30 hours.

-Greg

Inked by Tom Kiernan - Mean Machine Tattoo, Tampa, FL

I’m a big fan of animals. One of my most favorites is the bear, any type of bear.

Being a dedicated single mother for 17 years I have a lot of admiration for a mother bear that has to protect her young from the dangers of nature all by herself.

I liked this particular drawing illustrating a bear as if she is in the process of protecting her young as I always feel I’m doing with my 15 & 17 year old girls.

-Tami (Chapel Hill, NC)

Tattoo by: Lea Smith - Lucky Lady Tattoo in Greensboro, NC
(she also did my Mud Flap Girls and Mowing Dog tattoos)

Lived To Tell Old Style Tattoo

I was 13 years old and went to visit a cousin out of town. First time without any parental supervision and she, along with her much older friends, introduced me to crank. I did it every day for a week straight. And coming down from it made me sicker than a dog.

After, when I returned home, I searched for people at school who also used it. I got a job to support my habit at 15 years old. From that point on I was hooked. After using for about 4 years, at the age of 19 I met a boy, and fell head over heals in love. He also was a heavy user. Our love quickly became consumed with nothing but drug use. He later left me, and I felt like my world was over. I was left broken hearted and with the worst drug habit.

I was living in my car, had been kicked out of my parents home, and felt like I had nobody. My parents moved out of state and I got a job and attempted to clean up my act. I was clean for three weeks, which seemed like forever, and found a job. My parents agreed to pay my rent for a few months, as long as I held down a job. My first check, I blew $700 on Meth. And I began to spiral down hill once again. I never slept, I practically never ate. All I did was smoke Meth. I went from 180lbs to 106lbs in about 7 months. I looked terrible, my family was ashamed of me, and I lost all my “real” friends.

I was tired of life, I felt so miserable, unloved, and I saw absolutely no light at the end of the tunnel. I even tried to kill myself. I was renting a room out in the house. I went through the bathroom cabinets and grabbed 7 different medications. I drank a whole bottle of Nyquil and swallowed over 30 pills. I felt dizzy, light headed, and felt like that was it. As I started to drift into a sleep, I suddenly regretted taking the pills. But, I thought it was too late. I slept for about 2 and a half days. I called my mom later that week and convinced her to let me move up to Washington with her and my father. I got on a plane September 15, 2004. And I have been clean ever since.

It took me a good 4 months for the drugs to completely leave my system. But everything has changed for me. I am now 22 years old. I love my new life. I have wonderful friends. A steady job for well over a year and I am looking forward to a happy, healthy, successful future. I got this tattoo as a gift to myself. I am so proud of me. The anchor represents me settling down, and the banner represents exactly what it says. “Lived To Tell”

I now volunteer my services, as well as my story, to high schoolers. I would love to help kids who are headed down the same path that I chose. I hope to establish myself as a drug counselor. I hope I can make a difference in somebody’s life. I know what it’s like to have no help, and I want to be there to help them when nobody else will =)

-Lindsay