Finding my wings. :)

My new ink. :) This was a coverup of an existing tattoo. Johnny Maggard at Art 4 Life (in Springfield, MO) did a fantastic job! I absolutely love it! I've been wanting this coverup for a long time for several reasons...1) The old tattoo was just a crappy tattoo. It wasn't supposed to look like that, and I was never really happy with it. 2) The original tattoo was a wedding present from my ex, and although when I got that tattoo it was a happy time in my life... it now reminded me of not-so-happy times. This is the next chapter in my life, and it was time for a change. 3) I know a butterfly is cliche, but the reason I chose it is because it represents me. I've spent my whole life just feeling like a "plain 'ol caterpillar"... never thinking I was special, just crawling my way through life trying to blend in. Then one day I made a home, my "cocoon" if you will. At first it felt safe and I was happy, but then it wasn't... I completely lost myself in the problems of this home. I was consumed and avoided the outside world completely, because I was constantly trying to "fix" all of the problems others created. It became so restrictive, but yet I was scared to leave it. I was scared to face the world outside on my own, even though the environment I was living in was toxic to me... mentally, emotionally, and physically. The day that I finally broke free from that world was the day that I discovered I had "wings". I realized that I did have beauty inside of me, and that beauty started to show on the outside as well. I am now free to fly and discover every happiness this life has to offer. Even though I know the scar of the original tattoo is underneath, it just adds to the depth to the tattoo... Which is representative of the person I've become... a girl that went through some rough times, but came out a better, stronger, and happier person... and that's good enough for me. :)