Tonight at 10 p.m. I got the sudden urge to shave my face. Let me explain.
When I was 29 I grew a beard while on Christmas break at college. It was less a beard and more “I’m too lazy to shave for two weeks” but when someone asked me if I was growing a beard it suddenly seemed like a good idea, so I said yes. I have had the beard since.
This means I was not clean-shaven throughout my 30s and into my early 40s. I was a content beardyman, at least as far as the beard part went.
Finally, I made the first major change to my facial hair in April of this year when I lopped off the full beard and went for a more petite circle beard. I believe this was the right call at the time because the sides of my beard had pretty much gone completely white and I am not ready to become everyone’s stand-in for Santa just yet.
Since then I’ve mulled going further but held off because I like the circle beard. It makes me look vaguely hip, especially if I wear a beret (I don’t own a beret).
But tonight I got this overwhelming urge to see my upper lip for the first time in 16 years, so I broke out the beard trimmer and razor. I am now clean-shaven once again except for a neatly-trimmed goatee that I may or may not shave off tomorrow.
I kind of like the new-old look. I’ll wait a week before deciding whether to stay smooth ‘n sexy or go back to a more hirsute appearance.
Shorn:
