Commit to Yourself and Get a Tattoo!

While some breakups signify tattoo removal time, Chris Adrian found himself visiting New York and pondering going under the needle for a new one to get over a breakup. His logic? At the time of a breakup, your mind is on self-improvement. A visual marker like a tatoo is a “reminder to be a better person, a symbol, that every time I saw it, would remind me that I had made a commitment to myself to be good,” he says.

He brainstormed about design ideas and ultimately settled on a large dragon because of the message he thought it articulated: “Be good or I will bite you.” Adrian left the parlor feeling like the tattoo would keep him in check, even though he slightly regretted it.

In the end, Adrian was at peace with the “covenant” he made with himself, writing, “A covenant is about security, but if I am good it is probably because I am spiritually insecure. Maybe instead of trying to quiet my unease, I should to learn to live creatively with the fact that I am almost never sure about the right thing to do.”

Do you make spiritual promises to yourself? [Nytimes.com]