Thinking About Facial Hair?

I know how you feel. "Man, I wonder what I would look like with a beard." It's a hard question to answer. There's really no way for you to know without trying. I realize how hard a concept that has to be for you. After all, isn't the deck somewhat stacked against you if the only way to know is to take the time and go through the process of growing the hair? Well, the deck is stacked, sure, but "against you" may not be the right way of looking at it.

I recall my first experience attempting to grow facial hair. I was in eighth grade, and tried to grow a goatee. I stopped shaving for maybe two weeks, and it looked ridiculous. I shaved it, post haste. I didn't try again until the summer after I graduated, this time for a full beard. After about four weeks of growth, I realized two things, that I was nearly incapable of growing any hair on my upper lip, and that my hair growth was very, very slow. I shaved again. I still wanted to give it a try, though. By the following March, which, in the context of this story, is this past March, I couldn't take not knowing any more.

So, I resolved to grow a goatee...again. This time, I was committed. I was not going to shave my chin or top lip until I had a certifiable goatee, and nothing was going to stop me. And, friends, nothing did. I grew the goatee. And let me tell you, it was an experience. Once again, it was evident that my hair was going to grow slow, and that my moustache was, for some inexplicable reason, much weaker than the rest. I was also evident, after a while, that, despite the dark brown hair on my head, my beard was going to grow a rather vibrant red, with, apparently, blondish roots.

However, I stuck it out. In the face of derision and doubt that I would be able to do it, I persevered, and I could not be happier with the result. It took time, it took will power, it took a thick skin. In the end, though, I got to see what my face looked like with a goatee, and I'll tell you, I am in no way disappointed. I am pleased with the result, and I believe that the process, long and arduous though it may have been, was worth it.