I guess beard styles for men can be likened to hair styles for women – in a sense. The change in appearance gets other people’s attention. I’m pretty young. So it wasn’t too long ago that I began to grow my first beard. I was 17 and attending some classes at my local community college.
It was during the winter months in such an atmosphere that I decided to try to grow out my facial hair. And I guess it was a pretty successful beginner’s attempt. While continuing to keep my upper lip, cheeks, and neck clean shaven, I let the rest of my face’s hormones run wild. The result was more of a chinstrap than a legitimate, full-fledged beard.
But the brown, slightly curly hair was something to be proud of. The gradual change in my looks over a period of weeks brought on some well-appreciated commentary from classmates and student workers I knew. I got into a memorable conversation with one guy in particular, an old friend from high school. We both agreed that growing a beard requires patience as well as dealing with the itchiness of stubble. And, of course, my barber had things to say about it too.
But after a while, I knew the admirable chinstrap-style beard was going to have to make an exit. That’s just me. The beard was not going to become a permanent part of me. So since I was still living at home and was unsure on how to go about removing hair as thick as what mine had become my dad was graciously willing to shave most of my chinstrap off.
I sat down on a chair and leaned over a garbage can. My dad shaved me with an electric razor, a device I’ve never used since I always use a simple old-fashioned razor. During the trimming, as the hair was falling off my face, I felt a little like Samson from the Old Testament story. It actually did feel good to be clean shaven once again. And apparently a few other people thought the clean look was better on me as well, but I will always remember the legacy of my first beard.
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