Together is much more fun than alone. Karlijn Wijten (39) from Bergeijk also thought so, who wanted to mark the 10-year wedding anniversary with her husband Jaron (37) with a joint tattoo. Now you may think of hearts, roses or rings, but nothing could be further from the truth: they became a nut and bolt. A light-hearted idea with a deeper meaning, in a period when things are not always easy for the family. “Our slogans are: ‘I give a damn about you’ and ‘I’m really having a nut marriage’.”
It’s actually not their thing, a ‘couples tattoo’. “Normally, those kinds of romantic things make me a little nauseous,” Karlijn admits. “But I wanted to seal our love with a tattoo. Ten years of marriage is a beautiful anniversary to celebrate.”
She scoured the internet and among all the tattoos with ‘king and queen’ and ‘his and hers’ she came across a sketch of a nut and bolt. “I wanted that as a tattoo together with Jaron. He works in installation technology and is handy. Very appropriate. I like things that are different and that have a certain kind of humor. Fortunately, Jaron also liked it.”
Together they adjusted the design slightly. “A day before our wedding day, there was still a spot available at the tattoo parlor. That was meant to be.” The nut landed on Karlijn’s calf, the bolt on Jaron’s. “When we stand next to each other, you understand the point: the bolt fits in the nut. You can of course look at that in several ways. Our mom found it especially provocative,” laughs Karlijn.
Although the tattoo is meant to be funny, it is also a reminder for the couple that they are strong together. “Three years ago I got long Covid,” says Karlijn. “I was so ill for the first six months that Jaron became my informal caregiver. Actually, he still is.” Because she has so little energy, he does almost everything around the house in addition to his full-time job. “And that with two young children aged 5 and 7.”
For Karlijn, we always have to wait and see how a day goes. “Some days go better than others. I cannot make any major efforts, which sometimes takes days or weeks to recover from. To stay in the world of installation technology: it feels as if a technician has opened the meter cupboard in my head and body, mixed up the wires and no one knows how to return it to the factory settings.”
“You have to ensure that you continue to find each other, because this has a huge impact on your family.”
Due to her illness, Karlijn was forced to seek help and she received help from the municipality, including in the form of a mobility scooter. “Of course you cry sometimes, but you still have to carry on. Then it is very nice that you can do that together. You have to ensure that you continue to find each other, because this has a huge impact on your family.”
Humor helps them through the difficult moments. “One of our slogans is: ‘I’m really having a crazy marriage’,” says Karlijn with a big wink. “Another nice reference to our tattoos. It is important that after ten years of marriage, in which things are not going well in terms of health, you still see bright spots and continue to laugh together. You choose each other for better or for worse.”
Another joint tattoo is not an option for the couple. “It’s fine. It makes us laugh a lot and with our white milk bottle legs, the outside world doesn’t see them that often. It’s more for ourselves and it suits us.”
You can read all the stories here My tattoo and its story.
