Road to the 40's: The Tattoo

Yes, I'll be 40 this year too... Actually, in about one week only.
The symbolic meanings of it helps me sit down and anticipate the for-years-announced crisis that comes at this stage of everyone's life. Even thought I thought I took care of it in advance when I spent that one year in Germany back in 93-94, I knew it wouldn't be all, and the actual forties will bring its own load of wisdom and learnings.

As some of you might know already, Dani and I were born the same day the same year and almost the same hour. He in Argentina and me in the Dominican Republic. We met in Vietnam and kept an important friendship since then. He lives in Kuala Lumpur now with Nicole (wife) and Iva (daughter) and we both decided we wanted something out of the ordinary to celebrate our 40th birthday. We wanted to do it together and with no one else around. Just on our own. Nicole proposed to have a week of adventures in Bali. She (secretly with An) would make a route for us to follow during the week of our birthday 5-11 of July. We don't know what happens each day but it will be a way to reflect about our lives until this day.

Well, in my case the tattoo was a big part of the preparation. Since long ago I wanted to get a tattoo, but didn't know exactly what and where, and what should it mean or not. It was now, during this year that I started to see it all clear. It will encompass what I've concluded is the meaning of life so far for me. Not for everyone else. For me. My conclusions, my truth.

So I briefed Dani about it (he happens to be the creative director of Ogilvy -a renowned international Ad Agency) and started the process of creation. In it, María Julia and Ringo (from Argentina, that I met during Dani and Nicole's wedding a couple of years ago) jumped in with graphic ideas and deep meanings behind it.

The Meaning

• Continuity of life: we're immortal souls.
• Main pillars of life: Learn, Grow, Love, Compassion (represented by the four elements: Fire, Air, Earth and Water)
• Reality: World of the Matter interlaced with the Spirit World

Later it was about if I would do it in Bali during our adventure week or not. "Not" won and I decided to do it here in Bangkok before the trip begins so it could heal before the big week. That was yesterday.

I want to thank everyone else who was involved somehow in it, in particular Margaret, Kathy, Kelly and specially Kevin who came all the way from Brazil to talk me out of the idea of getting a tattoo at all. He almost succeeded when the mission was aborted on the first time we went to one of the tattoo parlors. Also the chats with my mom were good and positive despite the fact that she didn't like the idea.

I'm a happier person now. Not because of the tattoo, but for what it all means.