Mental Health Tattoo

I found myself stumbling upon a metaphor for recovery in a literary classic.
Harry Potter of course.
Thestrals.
Maybe you think that thestrals are the zombie like horses that can only be seen when you've experienced death. Though, even though Luna says this, Harry doesn't see the thestrals until the sixth book, I believe.
So why is this?
He hasn't fully accepted that he won't ever have his parents back. When he sees them, he has acknowledged and accepted that his parents are dead.
So, coming back to my point, I think a thestral would be a wonderful mental health tattoo.
They're gruesome, somewhat ugly creatures. In no way do they romanticise or beautify mental anguish or difficult pasts. They show how horrific struggles are. Though, you can only see them when you recognise and accept the trauma you experienced. So it shows that even though you acknowledge your past or illness was awful, you accept it.
I love Lunas gentle hand with them in the film. She knows they cannot change who they are, and they're just "a bit different". She doesn't let them upset her, even though she can only see them because her mother died. She acknowledged both them and her past, accepting that both are in her life. To me, even though cuts will leave a scar, it shows to me that she is content and at least on the road to recovery.
Perhaps this will make no sense to anyone else. Maybe everyone else with just see a grotesque skeletal horse that they associate with death. Sometimes, I think that's what people think of me, and other people that suffer with mental health issues. They don't understand it, so they avoid it.
Maybe that's why I like it so much. I connect with undead horses on an emotional level, and really wouldn't mind one on my body due to the metaphor it carries.

~~~
Hope you enjoyed ^-^ I post a new blog post every Wednesday, so keep an eye out! Feel free to comment and follow me on other social media for updates;
Facebook: justaoifethings
Twitter: @justaoifethings
Instagram: @justaoifethings