Did You Wear Green Today?



Let's forget the fact that I have no Irish blood in me whatsoever. Grade school memories came back to me today as I recalled that if one didn't wear green on March 17th, that was permission to be hit, punched, or pinched. Why? I have no clue. I do remember, however, that back in the day, we would find something, anything, that was green just to avoid being attacked by overly zealous freaks who went around saying, "Hah! You're NOT wearing green..take that!" Oh, the trauma. I want to say that we went so far as to get a piece of paper, color it green, and pin it to our uniform! To get out of the dreaded pinching or punching, some claimed that they were wearing green underwear only to be met with taunts of showing proof. Then, and this will be totally gross but true to its word, I remember some guys would say that it wasn't the underwear that was green, but it was what was ON the underwear that was green. Ewwwww....

ANYWAYS...as I was saying, I do not have any Irish blood in me whatsoever...no ties to Ireland...and definitely no luck.

BUT, I do have the claddagh symbol (as pictured above) tattooed in black on my back. Why, you ask, would MnM get that permanently inked on her body? 'Tis simple really...I love what it stands for.

The heart represents eternal love, the two hands stand for friendship, and the crown is for loyalty and lasting fidelity.

According to Irish legend, there was a man named Richard Joyce who was bound for a slave plantation, but then kidnapped by Meditteranean pirates. During his exile, he learned and mastered the skills of a master craftsman. In the late 1600s, Irish King William III negotiated the return of all slaves and though Joyce was offered the daughter of a Moorish slave owner along with much wealth, opted to return to a woman who had remained faithful the entire time. When they reunited, he presented to her the now famous Claddagh ring- a symbol of their enduring love.

Ain't that beautiful?

As crazy as it sounds, I've actually been asked if I was part or any Irish. I end up giving them this I-can't-believe-you-asked-me-that-question look. If it happens that I do NOT wear green on March 17th, I just bust out the tatt on my back...it may not be green, but it's as close to Irish that I'll ever get.

Speaking of tatts, I got my first one when I was nineteen. Let's just say that my mom wasn't too keen on the idea when she first saw it, but that's another story! Lol! I am planning for a fourth one, hopefully this year. It's true what they say, you can't have just one. They are addicting! I'll keep you updated on that for later.

In any case, Happy St. Paddy's Day all...drink up and be merry!