(conclusion) Every Bear Does It At Least Once

[jpinsd]

So, due to the overwhelming response, I will be growing the beard back. Thank you all for voting!

I'm actually pretty happy with that, considering i was missing the beard about 3 minutes after I shaved it off. I'm still having to deal with the gray, tho. I'm not bothered that I have gray hair, it's what it represents.

As some of you know, I spent over a decade cocooned away, not doing much of anything. Although I'm 41, I still feel like I'm 31 — until I see all that gray. It reminds me that I wasted 10 years: not dating, not falling in love, not living, just hiding.

So now i'm trying to make up for lost time :-)

I decided to keep a visual record of how long it takes to grow the beard back (inspired by bigkid's same photo record).

Here's day 1

Comments

[ericsandgo.livejournal.com]

Y'know, the goatee looks great, so does the beard. Don't grow facial hair for other people though, do what makes YOU feel good. That is most important, no?

Would you REALLY want to date someone who chose you (and conversely, may have turned you down) based on your FACIAL HAIR?!?!?!?!

Glad you're gettin' out there my old friend.

[jpinsd.livejournal.com]

Hey there Eric!
Long time no see :-)

I think one of the reasons i shaved the beard off was because I have had a goatee for so long, and that was what was familiar. But moments after I had shaved it, i regretted it. Proof again that it's time for me to move beyond "the familiar", and enter into new territory.

I've now come to terms with "The Gray", thanks to some probing questions, advice, and compliments from my friends. Thanks, you guys :-)

I agree about not radically trying to change yourself just so somebody else will find you attractive enough to date; that relationship can never last long.

Mostly, I was just asking for feedback; what did people think? Goatee, Scruffy, or fully bearded? It's kind of like when you buy a new shirt that you think you like, but you're not sure if you should be wearing it, so you ask a couple buddies what they think about it. If they almost all agree you look like a rainbow princess sugar fairy kitten circus performer ( and that's totally not the look you were going for), then you can easily return the shirt. In my case, I'm just growing my beard back.

Hope to see ya out, now and again!