Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Goodbye, half my face

I stood staring into the mirror. The scissors open and poised to cut, engulfing a good 4 inches of beard. I looked at my reflection and wondered.

It's been 11 months since I've really trimmed my beard. There's been some maintenance along the way, but mostly I've just let it grow and grow and grow. I get compliments in the street. My mother complains every time she sees me.

I wasn't able to form coherent thoughts as I stared. The decision had already been made. The scissors were in hand. I cut. The first snip didn't quite close. I paused as 75% of my beard hung in the balance. Now the thoughts came to me, could I somehow reattach this beauty? The decision was made and my moment of remorse was just a moment. I finished the cut and got out the clippers. 

No longer does my beard get stuck when I pull on my t-shirts. I don't have to move it out of the way to sleep on my stomach. Far less food will get stuck and I will better weather the temperatures in the 90s. As I looked at all that hair in the trash, I couldn't help but reach in and touch it one more time. That's the longest my beard has ever been. 

In the first 24 hours, I've had phantom beard moments where I thought it was there brushing up against my chest. I've looked in the mirror and seen a thin face staring back at me. I'm sure I'll get used to that guy. He's not bad looking, but I'm not sure he'll get compliments in the street. 


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