I was in Athens last May, while sailing the Mediterranean on the glorious Carnival Vista. During that cruise, my divorce was finalized...which is ultimately Why I Got a Tattoo of Aphrodite.

It was a magical trip, a trip of self discovery, amazing time spent with best friends, making new friends and figuring out the path I wanted to walk as a newly single woman.

Why I Got a Tattoo of Aphrodite

That was the trip during which I decided to get my Aphrodite tattoo - the Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sex.

I got my tattoo in NYC at Fine Line Tattoo, with one of the most gifted artists I've ever met, Angelo. You can find Angelo n Instagram at @angelo.digital.

You might recall me writing about meeting a special guy while on that cruise in 2016...I met someone the day my divorce was final. It was brief, it was lovely, and it ended in Athens, just a few short days after it began. Why am I bringing this back up now? Because I just returned from Athens, albeit traveling with my daughter this time around. No magical romances. No life-changing experiences. Just Angeline and I, exploring the city I've been fascinated with for over two decades.

Why I Got a Tattoo of Aphrodite

The first time I went to Athens, I was struggling with my newfound identity as a single woman. I was struggling with accepting the transition from dedicated, devoted wife to a sexual being without someone special in my life. I had never been one for casual sex. I married young. Being single scared me...but during that trip, with the help of a wonderful, loving, compassionate and kindhearted man, I gradually came to accept that I could be intimate with someone that I wasn't in love with.

Want to Read More about my life as a single woman?

• Sometimes Men Really Annoy Me
• It's About Time for the Great Year End Purge
• Oh, the Audacity of That One
• I Should Have Known it Was Trouble

Perhaps you find that comical, but I never thought that I could be that person. Yet, there I was, sharing my nights with this young man, and it didn't feel wrong. It felt right. And I was happy.

I hired a private driver on my last day in Athens and we had a long talk about love and loss, our tattoos, and Greek mythology. I explained that I had always felt a special interest in Aphrodite, as my ruling planet as a Taurus is Venus, the goddess of Love. Well, the Greek equivalent is Aphrodite...that conversation is what made me decide on my next tattoo - my Aphrodite.

While exploring Ancient Agora with Angeline last week, I came across this statue of Aphrodite. I couldn't resist the opportunity to be a goofball and pose with my favorite Greek goddess.

They say "Travel is the only thing you buy in life that makes you richer." I believe in this statement 100%.

Why I Got a Tattoo of Aphrodite

Some of the most poignant moments in my life have occurred during my travels, and whenever I'm weighing the pros and cons of spending money on a trip, I think back to those defining life moments and remind myself that they always happened while I was off exploring the world.

Travel. Travel often. Travel far. Travel with friends and travel on your own.

We find ourselves in the streets of foreign lands, without the every day distractions that bog us down at home.