Bye-bye beard: The end of No Shave November 2015

For the second year in a row I participated in No Shave November. I shaved on my birthday and then let my auburn-colored facial hair grow throughout late-October and all of November, except on my neck.

This morning I turned the calendar to December, cleaned the journal inboxes, and then buzzed and shaved my beard off. It was something I had been waiting to do for a long time — and it was glorious!

Like I said last year, I’m not a beard guy. I prefer a couple day’s worth of stubble. I have always thought stubble provides a rough but sophisticated look. (Whether or not it makes me look that way is a different question.) I understand that beards and all sorts of old-timey facial hair styles are the in thing, but they are just not “me.” Case in point: last year, after I shaved my beard on December 1, nobody noticed for days. That either means everyone I know pays no attention to me, or a beard-free face is so much a part of who I am that they did not think twice about it. I hope it’s the latter.

But even though it’s not “me,” I’ll grow a beard for a month. It is, I will admit, fun to do something different. Itchy at times, but fun. Plus, it’s for a good cause — prostate cancer awareness. My dad had prostate cancer, so participating in No Shave November is personal.

It feels so good to be beard-free, though. I can once again blow my hair out of my eyes. Before today, the hair above my upper lip blocked any effort.

(Here’s something I learned today: there is a difference between auburn hair and what is referred to as Titian hair. The distinctions are a little confusing, but I think I have it straight: Titian is brownish-orange while auburn is reddish-brown. My beard clippings are reddish-brown, so I think I’m safe in saying my beard is auburn.)