so i used to have a beard this thick. if i'm not mistaken, this was 3 months worth of not shaving. at least 3 months. someone asked me why i was growing a beard and it just dawned on me: i didnt know why. i actually, as a matter of fact, dont know why i started to grow a beard. no one really asked me that question, and i honestly had no reason why i did it.
considering that i swim, bike, and run as a hobby - i never realized how thick and long my hair and beard got. to be honest, one day i just stopped shaving. remember the movie forest gump? remember the scene when he just stood up one day and started running and never stopped? thats how i think i felt for doing what i did.
i guess i was also proud that i was one of the very few Filipinos (i guess you can also say, asians) who was able to grow a beard. being filipino / asian we are supposed to be genetically born not to be able grow facial hair - very much like when you take the average asian height and match it versus the westerners.
recently my wife made me shave. after so many months, i shaved. we had a deal that i was gonna shave if the gender of our first baby was a boy. so here is also my before and after shot:
i liked the photo on the left, it was kind of like a "swami yoganda" look according to my friend, kim. as the barber started to plow through my beard, it didnt feel like i was chopping off an arm, or cutting a life-long grown hair from you college-frat-wild days. i had no attachment to it. that was weird. i resisted shaving for so long, and i did not develop an attachment to my "lush foliage". again, weird.
so why did i grow a beard? was i growing it for all the filipinos who couldnt? because my work wasnt strictly corporate? did i have a statement? was i going for a look? during this time i did have an affinity for certain shows such as: duck dynasty, mudcats, and the likes; my favorite ufc fighter was johny hendricks, also a beard brother. all were either red neck shows or featured hermits / mountain men in them. even my in-laws couldnt make me shave (i just remembered). what was clear to me then was that, i easily sweat a lot - which is normal if your face and neck was covered with fur. i also developed a habit then of rubbing or holding my beard when i think :)
brother, try to grow a few stubble or a 5 o'clock shadow. if you get through the day without people noticing it, try to grow a goatee. and if people still dont mind, grow a mustache while youre at it. having facial hair is fun. people are scared of you, the elders give you weird looks like "you dont belong here" or "we dont want your kind", the kids are scared of you, the females veer away from you - some even hide their phones when they see me running at night :)
now that its no-shave-november or more popularly known as movember for prostate cancer awareness, lets see how far and how long i can grow my beard without rousing the people around me.
its ok to walk on the greens even if theres a sign to keep off the grass, its ok to not match your belt with your shoes, its ok to wear sports socks with formal shoes. let go a little, live a little. its ok to sometimes not shave a day or two, relax, grow a beard. its just hair
