Planning my next tattoo

I've been thinking about getting a second tattoo for awhile now. It's been two years since I got my first one, and I've never once regretted it. I love the meaning that went into it, the personal detail (I designed my tattoo).

And now I'm at another turning point. I want something else, also black, that expresses freedom. And I want it in a predominant place, like the inside of my left forearm. Something small, something distinctive, but also something that is more symbol than artwork. The thing that immediately came to mind was a bird.

Then I moved into Dixie's house. There are birds everywhere. On the walls, on the blankets, in framed pictures, and soon to be on the bathroom wallpaper. There are bird salt and pepper shakers, bird greeting cards, bird lightcatchers. And of course, the queen diva herself, Dixie's Australian parrot, Gypsy.

It seems to make sense, you know?

So, I'm going to start looking for images-- something very simplistic, like a filled-in outline. A small bird, in flight, as seen from above. Something that looks like a symbol for a bird, but not a bird itself. I have an immensely talented artist for a best friend, so I'm thinking that with the fluttering of a few eyelashes, I might be able to make it happen.

Just a thought.