A Bit About The Other Tattoo

So, I resurrected my running blog with a post about my new 13.1 tattoo commemorating my half marathon.

However, I completely neglected to mention the OTHER tattoo in the photo.

Mostly because I hadn't quite wrapped my mind around how exactly to explain that one yet.

I'm still not sure that I know just what to say, but I'm going to try anyway. So here goes...

About 4-5 years ago, I began using the word 'surrender' as my intention for yoga classes. It started out quite simply - as a reminder to just relax; to release the tension that I carry in my jaw, my neck, and my shoulders almost constantly; to not fight the poses, but to surrender to them.

From there it slowly morphed into a mantra for my entire life:

I use it to remind myself that sometimes I need to just surrender to what is. It is a reminder that no matter how much I might want to I can't, and I shouldn't, control everything.

I use it to remind myself that I need to surrender to being human, to making mistakes, to being wrong, and to not knowing everything. It is a reminder that I am not perfect and that I often make mistakes - and there is nothing wrong with that!

I use it to remind myself that sometimes in life you just have to 'surrender to the suck'. It is a reminder that the best things in life are usually the things that require the most work. It is a reminder that I have to surrender to the process, and to doing the hard work, to get the results I want.

I also use it as a reminder to just enjoy the journey. Sometimes the best rides are the ones that we never intended to take, and maybe we'd all be a little happier if we learned to surrender to the current instead of tying to swim upstream.