Our Life Together

A Boy and His Beard.

Over the past year, while I was abstaining from shaving, I received many questions about my ever-growing beard. The most popular inquiry, I believe, was: why are you doing this?

Most people weren’t satisfied with my initial response of, “Why not?” So, on a few occasions, I had to explain myself fully — as I am about to do here.

First and foremost, it should be said that not shaving for a year, or growing a large beard, isn’t much of a big deal. I was actually pretty surprised at how much attention it got me, and how people seemed to always be interested in what was going on with my facial hair. I think, in a special way, it became a journey not only for me, but spectators as well.

My motivation was simple — to not shave for an entire year to see what kind of beard would emerge. My dad is my facial hair hero — able to grow a complete beard by 3pm. My mom’s side of the family is more smooth (and not just by choice). So, I was hoping for paternal proportions, but preparing myself for somewhere in between (which is about where I hit — pretty good length, with some sparse sections that didn’t grow as full as I’d hoped).

While I can’t say the journey was something spectacular (it’s a pretty passive experience, except for the occasional mustache trim), I was somewhat fond of the outcome. I didn’t feel especially sad when the time came to part with the beard, but looking back now, I can’t help but feel a special bit of nostalgia. After all, the beard and I had many exciting adventures over the past year.

I’d like to give my thanks to friends and family who supported the yeard (especially my amazing wife). I imagine it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experiment, but it was fun while it lasted.