“Your tattoos like the stamps upon your passport….”
—“Wheat Like Waves,” by Death Cab for Cutie
For the longest time, I’d admired friends’ tattoos but couldn’t think of what image I’d want permanently stamped on my own body. One day the lightbulb went off: I wanted words. Not just any words, though. I chose qualities to which I’d already made a lifetime commitment: Justice. Compassion. Love. Kindness.
I was then inspired to design my next ink: a dandelion puff with seeds floating away on the air, spelling LIBERATION. I’d felt this word’s magic for years, even when I wasn’t ready to answer its call. But it kept asking me to explore what comes after justice, compassion, love, and kindness. Liberation revealed itself as the next evolution in my life’s purpose. And so I worked with a tattoo artist to bring the concept to life, in a location where I’d see it all the time.
What I wasn’t prepared for, though, was the way this commitment began writing itself on my life—not just my forearm.
I started growing a friendship with someone I’d long admired, someone I considered one of the “cool kids” in our shared community. To my delight, he was equally enthusiastic at the prospect, and we began corresponding regularly. I wasn’t popular growing up, and this new relationship gave me confidence; it was profoundly healing.
Then, at my instigation, I had a conversation with someone who’d caused a deep trauma in my life. I wanted answers. As we talked, I heard more about his own tragic history—and my story shifted, as though a new operating system had been installed in my brain. My anger drained away, as did the echoes of hurt I’d carried with me for decades. I kept staring at my tattoo as I realized I felt only compassion for this person who had wounded me. My past hadn’t changed, but I’d been liberated.
Suffering is part of the human experience, but what would our world be like if all of us could also experience liberation? What emotional and spiritual resources would be available if we weren’t owned by the hurt and numbness that lock us down? What if each of us made a lifetime commitment to get free and to bring others with us? I suspect that a robust, transformative hope would flourish.
Prayer
Spirit of Liberation, prepare our hearts to receive your blessings of healing and release. When disappointment and pain overwhelm us, keep pointing us forward on your path. Teach us how to use your wisdom on behalf of all souls so that all of us can get free. Amen and blessed be.