My new tattoo! ( excuse the redness on the first one it was taken the day of )

I have been toying around with this idea for about 3 or 4 years now, originally designed by me but modified a little bit by my tattoo artist friends

the text is an excerpt of a J.R.R Tolkein quote that goes

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.

I have lived in Australia as a volunteer. And have for 3 1/2 years. During that time I have not stayed just in one place, I have been up and down the east coast and up several times to Papua New Guinea, into Thailand and Burma. I dont think I have stayed put for over 4 months in this 3 year span. and dont plan on buckling down long term any time soon…
I guess you can say I have aquired a healthy case of what they call ” wander lust ”

I believe Tolkien in this poem is saying that things are not always as they first appear, nor should you assume that things will stay as they first appear to be.

so this is a reminder, and to signify that I am merely a wanderer with a purpose. I may seem to jump from here to there and back again, aimlessly chasing my whims. But in fact, my roots run deeper than they appear…even if they don’t keep me stuck in one place or opinion for too long. and im actively gaining a perception of things outside of what I would normally know.

The things I have learned while apparantly wandering around and working for free. are some of the most precious things I will ever have in my life. My preceptions of the world, knowledge of different cultures, my love for people and my relationship with God have drastically changed and through it all have gained a new passion for life.

If those photos didnt work heres the links

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saskatchewanpirate/5746241636/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saskatchewanpirate/5449390998/in/photostream