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Dec
08
Inked!: My Ray Bradbury Tattoo
2012 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
So, I did this last week:
It’s a selection from Fahrenheit 451, one of my all-time favorites, and the first book that really changed me.
‘Stuff your eyes with wonder,’ he said, ‘live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal.’
So, why this quote, and why now?
Well, I’m about to turn 30, and I’ve doing a lot of reflecting on what it means to be at this stage of life and what I’ve learned. I feel like I’ve figured some things out in the last couple years–the kinds of things that make a person feel like she has a little wisdom (just a little)–and one of those things is that nothing is certain, and that’s okay. In fact, it can be pretty rad.
Often, people who say things like, “there are no guarantees” do it with a hard-won cynicism, and issue it as a warning. It’s a “watch out, kid, it’s ugly out there.” This is not about that. In fact, it’s about the opposite.
This has been was the scariest, risk-taking-est year of my life in ways both personal and professional, but it has also been the most exciting and rewarding. I don’t think it’s an accident or a coincidence that things line up that way. This has been a year of leaping without a net, of consciously choosing endeavors with endpoints unknown. It has been terrifying; it has been exhilarating. And I’ve realized that you can choose to live in the fear and be miserable, or you can let the risk be its own reward. There ARE no guarantees, ever, and when you accept that as a truth of life, the unknown becomes a lot less scary because you know that no matter how much you might like to think you can control things, everything, really, is unknown.
So this tattoo, these words from the writer whose work is part of my DNA, is my celebration of lessons learned and wisdom gained, and my reminder to myself that the certainty I might be tempted to reach for sometimes doesn’t exist. It can’t be found. “There never was such an animal.” Why go looking for it when I could stuff my eyes with wonder instead?
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A great quote and very well executed ink. Nicely done.
Amazing tattoo, fantastic quote! I love hearing peoples’ tattoo stories and seeing their lovely ink, especially if it’s of the literary persuasion.
Jen´s last [type] ..As a sorry soul who gets one of these…do you know your Migraine triggers?
Beautifully executed writing on your behalf, you have a beautiful mind.
Nice. I’m so scared to get a tatto but I hang quotes arpund my house for some daily inspiration.
I didn’t have any familiarity the words of your tattoo, so I was surprised to instantly recognize the beginning of the quote. As a teenager, this part of the line had a big impact on me: “‘Stuff your eyes with wonder,’ he said. ‘live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds.” I hadn’t thought about it in many years, and I wouldn’t have remembered what book it was from.
Lovely tattoo and great post. And thanks for the memory!
Lisa Eckstein´s last [type] ..Drive-By Post
Great quote. I like those tatoo that has a meaning.
The Journey´s last [type] ..THE JOURNEY NOW AVAILABLE
Tattoos aren’t my thing at all but I salute your bold move to celebrate your life and your achievements.
Reading your post reminded me of an axiom I learned back in high school during an accounting class — the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.
You risked big and you won big. Now the trick is to rinse and repeat in 2013!
That is such a great quote! I haven’t read Fahrenheit 451 in years, so I think I’m due for a reread soon. Very adventurous of you to get it as a tattoo!
Alyce´s last [type] ..Tense & Offensive Reading
ooh, I like the ink. I like also how the font looks just a tiny bit flamey.
I want to get a couple of literary tattoos, when I have money enough to do them justice. And if I can find a tattoo artist comfortable enough to work with 13th century Japanese writing.
insatiablebooksluts´s last [type] ..Reading Rage: Don’t Make Me Get Out My Red Pen
I arrive with a question having exhausted my normal resources. I’ve been searching for a story I read in high school (late sixties) that I believe was written by Bradbury. The story concerns a man in the future where communication is instant and constant. At a point in the story the man’s communication device is destroyed. At first he is panicked, then he begins to enjoy the freedom of being “out of touch”. I think of this story alot these days and would like to find it to pass it on to nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
Do you have any idea what this story is titled?
Tanx, nice ink
Congrats on the tattoo, it’s a lovely choice and I love the reasoning behind it.
Alex in Leeds´s last [type] ..Art Garkfunkel’s Library