After 47 years, Beth decided to get her first tattoo. She didn't pass out, so that's something.

I got my first tattoo. There's a little bit of backstory I feel like I should share - because the tattoo is just part of a whole new mindset I decided to adopt in 2019.

It all started with the Uptown Theater. Back in late 2018, the Uptown - now known as The Uptown Center for Creative Arts - started offering classes, including Improv. Now, when you host a morning radio show, pretty much anything that happens after 7pm in the evening is off the menu because...well...sleep. For whatever reason - I felt like a HAD to sign up for this class. And I did.

We learned a lot about Improv - including the golden rule of improvisation: "Yes, and..." In terms of improv, that means that no matter what your scene partner proposes - you accept it as true, you agree, and you add to it. Your scene partner says you're zookeepers on Mars? You say, YES and let me get my broom, it's time to clean up after the space elephants. It's fun, and keeps things moving - and it keeps you exploring the world around you.

Let me a take a minute to get super-personal: "Yes, and..." is the opposite of who I am. I am a planner, a thinker, and honestly, not very confident by nature. I started to see the power in "Yes, and..." (Plus that class was the most fun I had in a REALLY long time.) So I adopted it as a general philosophy for 2019 - which is equal parts scary and exciting.

So when my youngest daughter said she wanted to get a tattoo...I said yes...and I'm going to get one too.

I should also tell you that I don't even like when I get my hand stamped to head into the State Fair, and I can't commit to a color for our bedroom - so the idea of permanently stamping something on my body is outside my comfort zone. Also, I hate needles. Minor things...

But I did it. (Big thanks to Brandon from Bodily Charm in New Hartford who didn't let me pass out or cry.)

Credit: Jill Soggs/TSM
Credit: Jill Soggs/TSM
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I chose two words from the many notes my late grandmother sent me over the year, written in her handwriting: Love you. It serves not just as a reminder of the amazing women whose shoulders I stand on, but also an affirmative statement of what we should all do every day - love ourselves.

Did it hurt? Uh, yes, but I've felt worse.

Yes, and...

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