I read a poll this morning that said 52% of Americans see Labor Day Weekend as the last "hoorah" of summer. I was shocked by this statistic - that means that 48% DON'T see the extended weekend as the last days of summer...so, what ARE the last days? August? There's always a sadness and a sense of urgency for me as Labor Day arrives - there are the usual questions (Where did the summer go??!!) and also the unusual (Who's going to bathe the dogs under the hose before it turns too cold?). There are the last minute "final" BBQs of the season, and the fall chores that need to get done before winter  comes and it's just too cold. But there's also some reflection - for me, the year doesn't start on Jan. 1 - it starts the day after Labor Day. Because, in my world - my classroom - that's when everything is fresh and new.

My reflection today, strangely enough, leads me to ponder my next tattoo(s). Much to my mother's horror (she cries and says, "You've ruined the beautiful skin we've given you!"), I document my observations and learnings about myself and the world around me on my skin. I have eight tattoos total:

1. Crown - on the inside of my left arm. I got this one a few years ago as a symbol of being comfortable with who I am inside. Kind of like "crowning" myself as Queen of Me.
2. Key - on the outside of my left arm. This one is for all my secrets (and the secrets of others that I carry with me, sometimes unwillingly). I'm the best secret keeper. Seriously. Sometimes I feel like Nick in The Great Gatsby - I carry people's secrets even if I don't want to. And you'll NEVER find out mine!
3. Chinese symbol for "teacher" on the back of my neck - this one's actually covered up now, after I remembered that I don't actually speak Chinese, nor AM I Chinese...so why did I go with a Chinese symbol? I started to feel like a cliche (this is certainly no judgement on those who DO have Chinese symbols, it just wasn't for me). 
4. The cover up - I don't know what to call this one. It's SUPPOSED to be reminiscent of some scrollwork on Cinderella's Castle at Disney World, in honor of my husband (because Disney is something that we share together). However, it looks like a big, black blob. I'm glad it's on the back of my neck, because, truth-be-told, I don't really like it. The artist I chose to do this one was chosen on a whim, and it wasn't a good choice.
5. Scrollwork beneath the cover up - So, after the Blob, I went back to my "regular" tattoo artist in Portland. He helped soften it up a bit and added some delicate work to it, although I now think it looks disjointed. I was going to have a whole back piece done to help tie it all together, but I'm now just thinking I should leave it all alone. I get compliments on it (so it's not as bad as I might think) all the time. I probably shouldn't keep adding to it for fear that it will just get out of hand.
6. The word "Beloved" between my shoulder blades- I got this one in California. It's for my husband. No way will I be getting anyone's name tattooed on my body - this is as close as it comes to that. 
7. A pixie on my lower back - ah, the obligatory tattoo when one turns 18. Yep, a pixie. I got it because at that moment I was feeling magical - you know, like, the invincibility that 18 year olds feel. I'm glad it's there, because even though I don't feel that way anymore, it's a reminder to me where some of my seniors are coming from when I think about some of the stupid choices I have to watch them make.
8. The word "Laugh" on the inside of my right arm - I love to laugh. I laugh all the time. My students often say to me, "I could hear you laughing all the way from the other end of the hall." I think that's a good thing. I'm all for it. People don't laugh nearly as much as they should. I get a kick out of life (and out of myself). Plus, in those REALLY difficult times, it's a good reminder.
9. Ooops, forgot I actually have NINE! I have the phrase "One of Two" on my left wrist - my sister and I got these at the beginning of this summer (we each have the same one).  We grew up hating each other, but all that changed as we got older (and I went away to college). We're tied together forever, whether we like it or not (and most of the time now, we like it!). She's my best friend and confidant.

So, WHAT, might you ask, am I thinking about doing next? Well, I have a bunch of ideas that have been swirling around - some for quite some time.

1. My next tattoo will be a lotus flower on my right shoulder. Not on the back of my shoulder, but right on top (on the ball and socket) and will go down my arm a bit. I recently returned from volunteering for a month in Vietnam, and it is to commemorate what I learned about myself and the world while I was there (more about that in later blogs, I'm sure). I already have an appointment for this one in Portland in October.
2. "It's always ourselves we find in the sea" - a line from ee cummings' "Maggie and Milly and Molly and May." I live in Ellsworth and teach in Bar Harbor, so it speaks to how I am connected to my "setting," if you will. I'm also going to have a starfish done with this one - there's a story about starfish that I love and that I think about when I'm having a tough day at school that this will remind me to think about.
3. "i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)" - another ee cummings gem - before I got the tattoo with my sister, this was going to go on my wrists (split between left and right). I'm not sure where it will go now...

I wear these tattoos with pride, as a way of telling the world about who I am - seemed like the perfect introductory blog entry, and a nice way to reflect on life experiences that I've had thus far as the last days of summer slip slowly between my fingers. And I can look forward to Tuesday, when I start fresh with new students, new pens, and new learning. The only question left is, Who IS going to wash the dogs???