In 2019 my life took a left turn.  My marriage ended.  My weight ballooned to 306 pounds.  I was a ticking timebomb. I decided to undergo weight loss surgery. In preparation I posted goals on a white board in my office, one of which was to walk a pilgrimage in northern Spain, called ­­­the Camino de Santiago. By 2022 I had endured a pandemic, completed the divorce, and lost 94 pounds. It was time to walk the Camino. I spent 10 days walking 150 kilometers of the Camino that June.  It was a profound experience of self-examination, self-forgiveness and self-love. When I realized how profound my experience was, I began to consider my first (and only) tattoo. So an hour or so after completing our Camino, I sat down in the Nora Tattoo shop in Santiago de Compostela for this tattoo.
 
The tattoo: The scallop shell is a symbol of the Camino and this rendering appears on each trail marker. The lines of the scallop represent that “all roads lead to Santiago,” the spiritual culmination of the Camino.  The yellow arrow appears on each marker to show the way.  “Ultreia et Suseia” was originally a popular greeting along the Camino. My favorite definition, of that greeting, which I meditate on each day is: “Onward and Upward with highest degree of emphasis.”  The arrow pointing out toward my fingers is to remind me to move forward always; that I can do anything. Today, I have found my way!  Ultreia et Suseia!

 

Tattoo Art by Nora Tattoo shop in Santiago de Compostela, Spain