Welcome to my blog, or should I say to the ramblings of an old man. I doubt that my ramblings are of much value, but at least I have an opportunity to share them.  So, please be kind and humor me. If nothing else of value stands out in these thoughts, I hope that you at least sense the value I place on a daily walk with the Lord.  That walk is what has provided me with motivation and a sense of purpose throughout my lifetime.  My prayer is that you, too, are experiencing this direction and joy in daily living which is available to everyone who puts his trust in Christ.  So, thanks again for joining me.  Please don't go without leaving some comments here so I can get to know you better as our paths intersect today in this blog.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

I Don't Understrand

Last week, while taking my morning walk at Park City, I observed three sights that I really didn't need to see. First, I was behind a young lady wearing a halter top and low riding shorts. I couldn't help but see an "ugly" tattoo that began at a spot on her lower back, that should have been covered by her shorts, and extended downward ... beyond where I was glad that I couldn't see. Ugh! Ugly! Later I saw what appeared to be a very attractive young lady sitting on a bench with her back to me. As I came back down the mall, on the other side, I saw that she indeed was attractive ... until I could see her legs. Both legs, from her knees on down, were filled with bright tattoos of all shapes. Double ugly! I guess tattoos have become part of American mainstream culture over the past couple of decades. Now, maybe I could understand very small birds, or flowers, or something similar, but not the ugly large ones that so many have engraved on their body parts. Some estimate that more than 10 million Americans have at least one tattoo, and there are about 4,000 tattoo studios now in business in the United States. I guess that some tattoos are very nice. I can understand why servicemen might want to carry one of the country that they have risked their lives for. But I still don't understand why people want to have something that is usually permanent, placed on their body. Of course, over the years, some have had no choice, such as the inmates in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. But that is a different story. So why would you want demons or elaborate "art work" engraved on your body? What do you do when you get a new girlfriend or wife and have another name showing on your tattoo? What do you do if you land a professional job (not in athletics, of course) where tattoos are not acceptable? What do you do when your body ages and wrinkles appear or your skin expands? One busy physician who specializes in tattoo removal estimates that about 50 percent of those who get tattoos later regret them. For years, these people had little recourse, and existing removal techniques were invasive (requiring surgery) and painful. Most dermatologic surgeons caution that complete tattoo removal is not always possible. Tattoos are meant to be permanent, so removing them is difficult. Few surgeons guarantee complete removal. If they can be removed, most take 4 to 10 treatments with modern laser equipment. I am told that the average charge for removal attempts is $50 per square inch of tattoo ink per treatment. Will this be covered under Obama Care? What a cost for something that might not even be successful. The girl that I saw with them all over her legs could make a major down payment on a house for what it would cost to have them taken off. Now that brings me to the third experience that I had on my walk. I came up behind a young lady whose tattoo on the back of her neck looked like it had been stamped there - maybe it had. In big block letters it said "XXIII". I assume that these were Roman numerals for 23. Was this her age, her address, her locker number? I think not. I believe it was her ... IQ!

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