The One Where We Get Way More Metaphorical and Symbolic Than Is At All Necessary.

“It gets better.”

Post-stubble. Chin curlies. Nine o’clock shadow. Whatever you want to call it, all men who have grown a beard have experienced it. We’re almost eleven days in, and the facial hair is coming on a bit stronger. Problem is, it’s a bit too long to wear as Clooney-esque casual stubble, but still too short to call it a real beard. At this point, your co-workers might be wondering if you’ve had a bad breakup, or are simply going through a really long week. 

 

Is that guy all out of razors or something?

Either way, this is the time to dig in and be committed. Once one builds up bearding momentum it’s a lot easier to stick to it, but many men will make a rash decision and discard their freshly-grown whiskers for fear that they don’t look good.  Unless we have walked the path ourselves, it can be difficult to forecast where it will lead. Sometimes it can be easier to double back for home rather than press onward. What if the grown-out beard is mediocre? Often it can be easier not to try.

In our lives we can be faced with similar challenge. How do we know that the path we are on is the right one? What happens if we are making a mistake? Most of my peer group is in their twenties, some only a short time removed from college, and many things cause us to question our decisions. It can be years before hard work can come to fruition. In spite of being told to fully commit ourselves to whatever our career might be at the moment, the reality of today is that most young people will hold a great many jobs throughout our lifetimes. Not knowing what comes next or if the reward will eventually be worth it, it can be tough to bear down and put away the razor. 

Movember’s Over – Time to Yeard

Ladies and Gentlemen, I know you’ve been waiting for this all month (Or maybe you haven’t. I don’t care.) I don’t have much to say in this post, except for how excited we are for this journey. I’m sure there will be the low times where we might feel pressured by society (or the summer heat) to shave, but with your support, it will be a thing of beauty. Godspeed, folks.