I finally grew a beard for the first time at the ripe old age of 46. Why exactly I embarked on this new adventure at this time I do not know, but I would conjecture that it was a combination of current style trends, and plain old mid-life boredom. Maybe my rapidly balding scalp had some level of influence too, but that is a story for another day.
I had always been clean shaven, and my self-conscious demeanor never felt comfortable with so much as a stubble. So it obviously took careful consideration to take this extreme step, not to mention the fact that I had to break the news of my intentions to the immediate family. After surviving the spectrum of emotions ranging from indifferent to curious to plain horror, it was finally time to move forward with the act.
I felt pretty proud of myself the first day I did not shave. By the third day, I was taking selfies to absorb my new look. And within a week, I looked definitively different (er…better), at least by my own humble standards. I had provided a new topic of conversation with people I ran into. While I faced some pretty unappreciative feedback from well-meaning friends, I relied on my cheesy sense of humor to save face…and beard.
Soon enough, my beard had gloriously sprouted up. I thought the salt and pepper look appeared pretty distinguished, although my appetite for the salt was a little bit less than the generous dose I was blessed with. I decided, in all my perceived wisdom, that dyeing it would be a worthwhile endeavor. Having never used a dye before, my first attempt was admittedly less than impressive. I ended up blotching dye on my cheeks. My poor face, intended for a Brad Pitt look, ended up looking more like a chess board. I had to endure a few hours of petroleum jelly based scrubbing, to make good on my mis-steps. At least I provided some solid Sunday morning entertainment to my offsprings.
Despite the initial hurdles, everything settled down well after the first few weeks. I was able to settle on the right trim level and keep it natural colored. Questions about my new look gradually went away, and life was normal. And now, having written this little write up about such an arguably inane topic, am pondering my next move…shaving it off.