This is Katie’s tattoo.
This is Jillian’s tattoo.
If you are unfamiliar with the story, it is about the transformation of the Missing Piece. In the beginning, the Missing Piece looks for others to complete him, looking for other Missing Pieces. The Big O lends him some advice, suggesting he first try to roll by himself. So, little by little, the wedge transforms to a circle, and begins rolling my himself– “And it didn’t know where and it didn’t care.” Without looking, the Missing Piece meets up with the Big O once again; it is then they begin to roll together.
To me, this tattoo is about self-discovery, independence, and peace. It is about loving oneself before loving another.
So, when people ask if my tattoo is the Big O, I answer “no.”
It is an evolved Missing Piece.
This belongs to Elana.
For my 29th birthday, I got this tattoo of Shel Silverstein’s The Missing Piece. The book has long been a favorite of mine since my dad read it to me as a kid, and stayed sentimental as I ended up working in children’s publishing. I chose this specific piece of art from the end of the book as my “I might not be perfect, but I can still be happy” mantra to myself.
This belongs to Beth.
The font was pulled from Shel’s signature on the cover, we had to crest an O because obviously his name doesn’t include the letter. Elliott is my son, and I love this scene as the missing piece has just begun to outgrow his place.
From Shel Silverstein’s The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.