I've had an inordinate number of people lately ask the meaning of the kanji running down my spine (you can see them on the splash page of my website). First of all, I have nine tattoos in all, each one representing some important event in my life or a philosphy I want to live by. I'll post pics of a few of them in the coming weeks and talk about what they mean.

The one down my spine is from the Tao Te Ching, chapter 45. It reads:

Understand contentment and you will suffer no disgrace.
Know when to stop and you will meet with no danger.
You can then endure.

I got it maybe five years ago at Lucky Devil, my favorite tattoo shop to recommend. It reminds me to temper my natural enthusiasm with caution...not rushing into everything headlong with little regard for my health, physical or emotional. It's been a hard lesson to learn, and I'm still learning it, but I think it's an excellent play philosophy as well!