Father Forgive Me

I have a confession to make. It feels like sacrilege of the highest order, a mortal sin which surpasses the reach of forgiveness. But it's the truth, it's what's real. I never really wanted to be a "Beard Guy". It's not that I wanted to not have a Beard. For most of my life, the paths I've chosen didn't lend themselves to having a Beard. Straight out of high school, I entered the US Army, which by definition requires daily Beardicide. A combination of that ingrained habit and being in work environments that generally embrace non-Beardedness led to me being mostly without facial hair for most of my life. I moved from shaving every day to mostly keeping stubble--a few days' growth at best. Between adhering to the preferences of employers and relationship partners, it never really went beyond that (with the exception of sporting a closely-cropped goatee for a while). And I certainly didn't want to be defined by my facial hair, or lack thereof.

When I met Wendy, I soon found that she had a....I was going to say "thing for Beards", but I have to be honest and call it what it is...a longstanding Beard fetish. She has always loved a man with facial hair. When I realized that growing a full-on Beard would not only not be a problem, but would be preferred, I got a little excited. I'm pretty much a low-maintenance guy. You'll usually find me in a T-shirt, jeans or cargo pants and a pair of Sanuks. I don't fawn over my appearance all that much. One of the reasons I had longer hair for so long was so I could roll out of bed, run a hand through my hair and look presentable. The thought of not worrying about shaving was very enticing.

Once I started growing a Beard, I noticed that there is quite a large Bearding community. I never really wanted to be a part of that. I thought a Beard is just something I have, I don't need to create a lifestyle around it. Making a big deal out of it just made it seem too high-maintenance for my liking. But then a funny thing happened. I found that I didn't just want to let my Beard grow wild. I wanted to keep it in nice shape, to keep my neck and cheeks lined out (having a Beardsmith take care of those things makes it SO much easier, which fits with my low-maintenance model). I found that using a quality product like The Beardsmith Beard Grease makes an appreciable difference in the look, feel and ease of maintenance of my Beard. And I found something else-- the people I've met who are serious about their Beards are by and large very kick-ass people. There is something about the community of guys who have chosen to actively grow a Beard. There's a camaraderie, a sense of community, a common thread between our lives. It may seem silly to some. And it very well may be, but no more silly than any other group of people who are bound by a common interest or pursuit.

So you could say I begrudgingly became a "Beard Guy". I didn't become one because I had to or felt compelled to, I did because it was the natural consequence of growing a Beard, wanting to take good care of it and meeting other guys who take their Beards seriously. Today I embrace what some call The Bearded Lifestyle. At first I saw that notion as an unnecessary complication and overstatement of something that should be kept simple. Now I see it as part of getting back to roots and helping to support a man's freedom to let nature take its course.