“Flowers grow back even after the harshest winters. You will too.”

2020 was a pivotal year for me. Aside from the pandemic, I realized I had a lot of work to do as far as it came to self-love. I didn’t like who I was. I didn’t like who I saw. I began to take steps to fix that. I had worked so hard trying to fix my outside appearance. I eventually realized that wasn’t the problem. I needed to change the way I saw myself. I went to therapy specifically geared towards how to take care of my body by loving it and giving it the nutrition it needs. How to stop punishing it for existing. By October, I had done so much work, that it was started to take root in my heart. I thought about flowers. They are beautiful just because they exist. They do nothing. They don’t wear makeup or lose weight or do anything. They just get to be exactly as they’re made without changing and they’re beautiful and stunning. I realized that can be me. I also realized all of the shit I had gone through to fight for my right to love myself with my ex-husband. I thought about flowers again. They get taken out every winter. And then without fail, every spring, they pop right back up. They’re resilient. And that’s been me my whole life. So for my first tattoo, I sat for over four hours and got a floral piece. Dedicated to both of those ideals. And it reminds me that I’m beautiful just as I am, and I am resilient. And I think about it all the time.