May was Mental Health month, and MensHealth.com posted the gallery 8 Guys Share the Powerful Stories Behind Their Mental Health Tattoos. After SunshinePHP 2017 I came home with the idea to finally get a semicolon tattoo. The semicolon project hits pretty close to home for me. I love the idea of stopping to pause and reflect. At SunshinePHP that year, I saw three or four different people with semicolon tattoos---it pushed me over the edge. I got my semicolon done and loved it.
The next thing I wanted to do was pay homage to the OSMH round logo. I’ve always loved our logo and I felt like that was the next tattoo for me. Right before php[tek] 2018, I got the badge logo done.
The next step is to continue the mental health sleeve I started. There’s no telling how big I’ll go, but it’s a nice start; maybe I’ll add some color next.
While the semicolon will remind me to relax and breathe, the hands together remind me we’re all stronger than the fear that keeps us from talking about mental health openly and honestly. Since OSMH has been such a big part of my life the past year, it felt right to place it next to the semicolon.
Do you have a mental health related tattoo? Share it with us on twitter or facebook. We’d love to see it and hear your story!