Friday, January 18, 2013

What to say when I don't feel like saying

So, this is totally a conversation starter.  And I'm an introvert.  I don't always like talking to people.  So there will be many times in the future when someone asks me what my arm says and I will not feel like talking about it.

I am tempted to shrug and say, oh, it probably says 'pork bun,' which is a deliberate deception.  It allows people to think that I don't know what it means and I feel kind of bad about not knowing.  And it somehow feels like less of a lie than saying it means love and serenity or something.  Or maybe it's that if I'm going to present myself as a person who was misguided enough to get a tattoo that didn't mean anything, at least I'm presenting myself as someone who knows better now.  It makes me someone who made a mistake, but that's way better than being someone who blithely thinks it's a great idea.

I might be able to say something like, it's a long story.  Which isn't exactly an answer to the question they asked, but might deter further questions.  It means, if I tell you, I'll have to explain, and it's a long story that I don't feel like getting into.  Which is, actually, exactly right.  If it works.  We'll see.

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