It is not the destination so much as the journey, they say.

The above is a quote from Captain Jack Sparrow and is suiting to today's post as I embark on the final leg of my journey. Today we start my chest tattoo. My wonderful tattooist, Jarkko, has been drawing the piece and says he has some surprises for me. I'm not allowed to see until today! *smile* I'm very excited and very nervous at the same time.

I'm not sure how much we will get done today; I'm hoping we can get most of the outline done. It all depends on how my pain threshold is today. I will post before and after photos after today's session once the bandages come off; hopefully tomorrow.

Tia Dalma: You know of Davy Jones? A man of the sea, a great sailor. Until he run afoul of that which vexes all men.

Will Turner: What vexes all men?

Tia Dalma: What indeed.

Gibbs: The sea?

Pintel: Sums?

Ragetti: The dichotomy of good and evil?

Jack Sparrow: A woman.

Tia Dalma: A woman. He fell in love.

Gibbs: No, no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with.

Tia Dalma: [annoyed] Same story, different versions. And all are true. See, it was a woman as changing and harsh and untamable as the sea. Him never stopped loving her. But the pain it caused was to much to live with, but not enough to cause him to die.

Will Turner: What exactly did he put into the chest?

Tia Dalma: Him heart.

Ragetti: Literally or figuratively?

Pintel: He couldn't literally put his heart in a chest. Could he?

Tia Dalma: It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings.