What I learned from being poked
At the age of eighteen, cognition and the ability to think ahead is not always developed.
For me it certainly wasn’t.
On my eighteenth birthday, I knew exactly what I wanted to do in order to mark the day I officially became an adult. Well, an adult who could not drink yet.
I was still living with my parents at the time, and of course, they would have been 100% opposed to my plans. So I secretly calculated my strategy months in advance in the privacy of my bedroom.
I coaxed a friend into driving me around on my birthday, since I had a feeling I would need the moral support.
On the way, my body began to tremble. My knees bounced and my eyes shifted to each side view mirror, back and forth, anxious that perhaps someone I knew would see me.
We arrived safely and undetected, but the anticipation became unbearable. My palms glistened with sweat as I sank my face deep into them. Reluctant to open the car door, I looked over to my friend and asked, “Wanna come in with me? Please? Just for a sec?”
“Um, sure. You okay, Sandy? C’mon, don’t worry. I’ll walk you in.”
A tall, young man greeted us at the door. Shirtless and alone, he nonchalantly invited us inside.
“Hey, how are you?” He asked.
“Um…fine.” I replied nervously with my face coyly turned aside. His voice was familiar from conversations over the phone.
“Come with me, Sandy.” He said while turning around, exposing an enormous spider tattoo on his back with legs spanning shoulder to shoulder.
“Just lay down here and try to relax.”
He stood with his back turned, so that the package he was opening was out of view.
“Oh, and unbutton your pants…”
*whimper*
I wanted to die. Or at least rethink this entire rite of passage into adulthood I had gotten stuck in my head.
As he pulled his body squarely in front of me, I leaned to the side to try and peek at the door. It was all my panicked mind could think of, a quick exit.
“Is it going to hurt?” I mumbled nervously while balling up the lower edge of my shirt to lift it up.
“Don’t worry. It will only hurt for a moment. There will be a little bit of blood, but soon, you’re gonna love it.”
“Ready? One…Two…Three…”
For a split second, there was intense pressure and pain. But before I had a chance to brace for it, he was done.
My belly was pierced.
I did love it. Especially whenever I wore a bathing suit, or a marginally cropped top showing off my youthful, slender waistline.
But ten years later, I became pregnant and had my daughter.
At the time, my 18-year old mind could imagine myself being pregnant one day, but not in the way where I could base a decision upon it. Especially since I had never actually seen a pregnant belly and belly button. Had I known the dimensions my belly would stretch to, I probably would not have done it.
Over a decade later, and now truly an adult and parent, I still wonder if I’ve ever developed that ability to think ahead. Whether I am capable of basing decisions on what may or may not lie ahead.
My guess is I have a long way to go.
Especially after having days like yesterday, when I started a wallpaper removal project. An idea I’ve been mulling since we purchased this house.
And after a full day of scraping, scoring, and spraying vomit inducing floral wallpaper, I am certain I did not have the foresight to anticipate the ordeal this would turn out to be.
I’m renting a wallpaper steamer this weekend and hoping for the best.
Think I should spring for a tattoo, too?
At this rate, I might be done by Christmas.
LOL – love it! I’ve just spent two hours reading your blog. Now I understand this whole blogsphere stuff. I’m totaling enjoying your blog.
Kim’s last blog post..Skinny but not that skinny
July 6th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Good luck on your project–it’ll be so worth it!
Asianmommy’s last blog post..Strawberry Mice
July 6th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
LOL, just in time for holiday entertaining!! I hope the steamer helps the project along…
Oh, and did the holes from the piercing go back to normal? As in, if you wanted to, could you put a barbell back in?
July 6th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
NICE! Looks good underneath! I, for some odd reason, love the ‘wax on wax off – karate kid mentality’ of removing wallpaper and staining floors. Odd isn’t it? I get lost in my mind and it’s actually good thinking time.
Look at it that way! lol
I wished we lived closer…I’d suggest going together to get a tattoo. lol. I’m 44 and actually considering a small one. is that crazy? I need to find a wallpapering project quickly! lol
sheila’s last blog post..Monday Garden Club and a fat ass June Bug
July 6th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
@Kim- Thanks so much Kim! I hope you didn’t dig too far deep in to the archives :/
@Asianmommy- Thanks! I sure hope so.
@Muthering Heights- I hope the steamer helps too. As for the piercing, the hole has closed, so no hope for a barbell unless I re-pierce.
@Sheila- That is too funny. I’ll try and chant that next time I’m at it
Wish I could have you over to help!
July 6th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
At least there wasn’t wallpaper underneath that!
Hockeyman’s last blog post..Wait….What?….Woah
July 6th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Oh, I meant to comment on the last wallpaper post, to say ‘Rent a Steamer’!!! Mr F and I stripped an entire house, built in 1750… and I swear that there were 14 inches deep of wallpaper in every room. So much easier to paper over than strip off, don’t you think?!
July 6th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Haha nice! You were a brave 18 year old!
Alana @ The Good Girl Gone Blog’s last blog post..The Best Week(end) Ever!
July 6th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
~~~~sneaking back in after a hiatus~~~
Good luck with the wallpaper! Hopefully you can defeat it before it defeats you!
I always wanted to pierce my belly button but 13 years later I’m glad I didn’t LOL
Lis @ A Trucker Wife’s last blog post..Monday Blues
July 6th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Yay! One area down and *insert low encouraging, upbeat and totally doable upbeat number here* to go!!!!
You are such a rebel. I would’ve NEVER had the guts to pierce anything, wow, way to go!
)
Thanks for sharing
Have a good week, I’m thinking about you.
July 6th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I didn’t know what you were talking about in the beginning. I too had a belly piercing, but eventually took it out as I kept losing the little ball when I would sleep and the hole kept closing. I so miss the belly ring, and I miss my flat belly. But since having my son, neither is an option at this present moment.
Felicia – I Complete Me’s last blog post..Refreshed and Ready to Goooo!
July 6th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Haha, belly button rings. As least you were impulsive enough to let your drunk 18 year old friend do it with a bad of ice and sewing needle (I was smart enough to be on the non-scarring end of that need).
And my carpentry also falls into the same real – you should see my partially exposed brick wall, which is now my art wall.
Krista’s last blog post..Awww, Screw the Strawberries. It’s Picnic Time
July 6th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
lol…. things we do. i did the wall paper removal thing before and i will not do it again. i will just pay. my arms hurt for 2 days afterward.
savvymode’s last blog post..Going for Purple and Beige & It’s the Thought that Counts
July 6th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Did your parents ever find out about the piercing? If so, what was their reaction? I still don’t have the courage to get my ears pierced let alone my belly button!
Joyce-Anne’s last blog post..Vacation is all I ever wanted
July 6th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
I have a fifteen year old who is counting the days till his 18th birthday so he can get his lip pierced–because, you know, his parents are such spoiled sports.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I did the same thing for my 18th birthday! And I too, had no idea the dimensions my belly would stretch to during pregnancy leaving me with a droopy belly-button not fit for decorating with piercings
Melissa’s last blog post..Adelle is so lucky
July 6th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
You could get a tattoo OF the wallpaper to remind you never, ever to do that again. (as if you could forget)
Shelly’s last blog post..Scaredy Dog
July 6th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Ick … wallpaper removal. It is not fun at all! And I loved the story of your belly button piercing … just be happy you had time in your life when you could pull that off! I don’t think I could have ever done it — I just don’t have the body for it! And at least it is something “non permanent” — in the sense that you can stop wearing it. I always wonder about these young kids with so many tattoos — what will they think when they are older???
Jenners’s last blog post..Fun and Games With Jenners – Game 7: Wacky Word Problems
July 6th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
I am shuddering remembering when I helped my parents remove the wallpaper from their living room. It was all I could do not to knock myself out until my sisters completed it without me.
Maria@Conversations with Moms’s last blog post..My Secret Circle: A new Social Networking site for girls Review and Giveaway
July 6th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
The steamer will make a HUGE difference. That’s the voice of experience speaking.
Do you still keep a ring in your belly button? My sister got a tattoo on her stomach. THAT is bad planning?
Cara’s last blog post..Fall River
July 6th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
It looks great! But I hope “renting a wallpaper steamer” actually means “hiring someone else to do it!”
Beth (A Mom’s Life)’s last blog post..Miracle Monday
July 6th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
When I was 18 I was not brave enough to get my belly button pierced. A lot of my friends did, though.
Good luck with the wallpaper! I hope the steamer makes the job go faster for you. Our old house had a ton of wallpaper in it and we took every bit of that down. What a chore that was!
July 6th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Sounds like you had a good run.
I did the belly button thing at the ripe old super dumb age of 29. I had a red oozy belly mess for 2 months until I gave up. Not hot. It never healed, yet it did manage to scar. Nerd.
Lisa Rae @ smacksy’s last blog post..459 Words About Laundry
July 6th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I think it actually looks good with just the bottom part cleared. Hope it turns out OK!
Angela at mommy bytes’s last blog post..Tuesday Toot – Adam’s Piano Recital
July 6th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
LOL..I thought you were going to say you got a tattoo!! LOL!
Well, I hope the steamer works for you, girl!!!!!
Alicia’s last blog post..MAKING YOUR HOME SING MONDAY
July 6th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Lookin’ good!!! Hope the steamer helps. Christmas wouldn’t be too bad, I thought you were gonna say next year…lol.
Mama in Suburbia’s last blog post..My Mini Excavator
July 6th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
It starts to look GREAT already! So don’t get discourage yet.
Hey! At least you will entertain in a nice room this Christmas. You meant this Christmas, right? 
Amy @ The Q Family’s last blog post..Five Family Favorites at Downtown Disney Market
July 6th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Stick with it…you’ll be happy once it finished! And ouch! I’ve always been scared to pierce anything but my ears!
Emily’s last blog post..Friend Makin’ Monday – Are you calling Ms Lauren?
July 6th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Thanks for commenting on my site! I had to check out yours, and after reading the first post I had to subscribe
You make me reminisce about the time I pierced my nose. Oh wait, I ran out at the last minute 
Candy’s last blog post..4th of July BBQ.
July 6th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
You are too cute. I love how you weave one story into a metaphor for a current predicament. This is why I love your writing. I still know nothing about wallpaper (or belly button rings), but I wish you the best.
Maggie’s Mind’s last blog post..Friendliness, Toothiness
July 6th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
So now the burning question is – is it still pierced? Or did it close up?
lceel’s last blog post..A little STUFF
July 6th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Snicker,
we will never be able to fully know what to expect when we do one thing. Despite of what our parents claim
And the steamer will do wonders.
But getting the new wallpaper on the wall will be another chore.
I’m glad I’m not you.
*Snicker*
Nicole’s last blog post..I smell cheese
July 7th, 2009 at 2:03 am
That is a great rite-of-passage story!!
Good luck on that wallpaper! I do not envy that task!
Susie’s Homemade’s last blog post..Tackling Heart Disease
July 7th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Only if you get that same wallpaper pattern on the tattoo.
BTW… my friend Karen’s new book, The Missing Ink, about a kickass wonderful tattooist who lives in Vegas, is out today and I think you’d love it! It’s by Karen E. Olson.
Good luck with the wallpaper. As I’ve said before, I bow down to you over this project!
Jen of a2eatwrite’s last blog post..A Question for You
July 7th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Ha.. I took my belly button piercing out a year before I got pregnant.. it was so funny to see how the hole closed and then got all distorted due to 69 lb weight gain with my first!!
And I loathe.. LOATHE taking down wall paper.. good luck to you on that..
Kim’s last blog post..Unwinding at Robert Moses Beach
July 7th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Tattoo? Wish I could be around when all these people who are tattooing themselves up turn 65, so I can see all the wrinkled, droopy tattoos.
Dot’s last blog post..Family –- Ain’t It Hard?
July 7th, 2009 at 9:47 am
I dunno…that hurt, but I think the eyebrow piercing hurts worse.
Undercover Princess’s last blog post..An Open Letter to North Korea
July 7th, 2009 at 10:34 am
We could both get a tattoo when you’re in for BlogHer…
…you go first.
Employee No. 3699’s last blog post..I Took the Challenge…
July 7th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
It’s not like you don’t have other things to do! Don’t be hard on yourself.
Good luck. It’s hard to get things done with kiddos around.
Missy’s last blog post..Sticks that light up…
July 7th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Just think of it this way…your project will be done in time for the in-laws to visit for the holidays!
Cafe Fashionista’s last blog post..Back Talk
July 7th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
For some sick and voyeuristic reason I was hoping the picture you posted would be of your belly button. Not that I would EVER post a pic of mine, but still…I’ve heard people complain about what happens but never seen it, I guess that is was image search on google is for.
Good luck with the wall paper.
Sweet Em’s last blog post..Its been awhile
July 7th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Good thing I have a good mind. LOL.
But we don’t ever understand that at the age of eighteen, cognition and the ability to think ahead is not always developed.
Ahh life eh
but then it’s apart of living too and that’s the fun of learning or the pain of learning..
Jamericanspice’s last blog post..Life’s detour: A visit with my sister-in-law
July 7th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I went drinking like every other 18 year old Canadian. I probably would have been better off with a belly ring.
Christine’s last blog post..It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
July 7th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
I never got anything (aside from ears) pierced and have always sort of regretted it. I do have a tat though.
As for the wallpaper, I sympathize. When we moved into our house, every room was coated with the world’s ugliest wallpaper. We spent days scoring, steaming and scraping. I will never use wallpaper simply because I never want to remove it again! I will say, it was worth the effort though.
Good luck.
Kimberly’s last blog post..A new day
July 7th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Now that I’m on the other side of my rehab project…I’m here to tell you it is worth it. Good luck:)
Nap Warden’s last blog post..Back Together Again
July 7th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
ROFL! I think renting a steamer is a great idea and yes, you should definitely get a tattoo!
July 8th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Wow! Is that really all the wallpaper you finished. Are you going to get a tatoo with the wallpaper print so you can remember it??? That would be very sentimental. I’m sure it would drive your husband crazy
Cookie’s last blog post..Who Is Going to Clean That Up?
July 9th, 2009 at 11:40 am
I’ve just spent a bit of time catching up in Google Reader and am reminded how much I enjoy your writing style. I tried to leave a comment on your most recent post (very kewl and I’m holding lots of POSITIVE thoughts for you even when I don’t drop by) but wasn’t able to do so because it wouldn’t stop loading. Methinks I’ll skip the belly ring, but I am seriously considering a tattoo myself … and think you should definitely go for it ;–)
Hugs and blessings,
Happily Retired Gal’s last blog post..Mellow Yellow Mosaic Monday – 4th of July
July 9th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Go for the tattoo!
Tea’s last blog post..Happy Birthday, Chris!
July 10th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
hey sandy! i had mine when i was 23. but i took it out after i got pregnant and never put it back on… what a waste!
July 10th, 2009 at 11:30 pm