DJOktober shows off her tattooed legs,
including her latest "faith" tattoo

I am not going to re-hash the information from Part I and Part II regarding what my whole ankle piece is about; go there and read about it if you haven't already! The important part is that I am pretty sure my ankle piece is going to be a total of five tattoos, and since I decided what my final one would be before figuring out two of the other parts, I decided to go ahead and get it done. Here is the graphic that I brought to my tattoo artist (Darren Rosa from Rising Dragon, of course): The acronym "TTP" stands for "Trust the Process". If you have already browsed the radio sections of this site, then you may have seen this phrase before; it is the primary name of John Taylor's website. However, don't make any assumptions yet about the meaning of the tattoo! The tattoo is about that phrase: "Trust the Process". To quote John Taylor, "...it's a recovery mantra. Reminding oneself to enjoy the journey, rather than obsess over the destination." As the final tattoo in my ankle series, the phrase represents my current resting place in a journey that started long ago with my childhood escape into various fantasies (as represented by the other tattoos). There were many other symbols or acronyms I could have chosen to represent this particular aspect of my life; however "ODAAT" or "LGLG" or "TTT" just didn't look as good as "TTP". And I didn't want a symbol, or a date, or anything that I might seriously regret if my path led me away from...well, the path that I am currently on! I know, I know, I'm not making a whole lot of sense. Those who know what I'm talking about will really know; those who don't, just read on. The important thing is that the phrase "Trust the Process" is a reminder of how I need to live. To me it means having faith. For over two decades I never understood what it meant to put my trust in anything except for one indulgence that led me down a path to self-destruction and came dangerously close to killing me. But I learned how to have faith...not just in the "process" (of being healthy, staying sane, doing the right work, etc.), but in life. Life is a tough damn thing. And the phrase reminds me that if I have faith, and if I have the strength to trust, then everything will turn out okay...that at all times, no matter whether they are good or bad, I am exactly where I need to be, and it is all in god's plan. And I am trying damn hard to enjoy every minute of the journey, and not worry about the destination! All of this leads to a big disclaimer: "THIS TATTOO IS NOT ABOUT DURAN DURAN." I'll admit, however, that there is a secondary meaning. I decided that if I was going to use the phrase "Trust the Process" to represent this part of my life, then I might as well grab a logo from the TTP website. The lettering is indeed in the same font as it is occasionally used on the site. The dot pattern is also a nod to the site; it's a theme that reoccurs often in the graphic design. And the colors I chose are the same as the logo for Meltdown, the official Internet radio station that I have been running for the site since September, 2000. The site and the station certainly do mean a lot to me...in fact, it was through this Internet radio venture that I learned to have faith in the first place. And that is a long story in itself... Back to the tattoo. As you can see, it's on my left foot below my ankle (and I left room for the other two tattoos...one of these days I'll get to them!). When Darren applied the stencil and we consulted with others in the shop about the placement, the floor girl (who sports a huge back piece and complete tattoo sleeves, FYI) said, "That's gonna hurt." Boy, they love to torture me over there! Yeah, I knew it would sting; but I have one word for those who may cringe at the thought of a lower ankle/foot tattoos: ribs. If I could survive a tattoo needle on my ribs not once, not twice, but three bloody times (and it will be four, after we touch-up the color on my cat tattoo), then I can survive just about anything. So yes, this tattoo smarted a little. But did it hurt? Nah. Especially when comparing it to the ribs! I will note, however, that the healing was a breeze. I guess there aren't a whole lot of nerves or capillaries down there under the ankle...it didn't swell, it didn't throb, and it didn't itch. However, it also didn't take. I've never had a tattoo look so crappy. I believe it is just the nature of the skin there...I had to have the whole thing touched-up, and we did that just a few days before this writing. Lovely, ain't it? Now I just gotta get parts 3 and 4, and the ankle piece will be complete!