October 31st, a date many of us consider to be
Halloween, where dressing up, knocking on stranger's doors to tell them jokes
and eating tons of chocolate is perfectly acceptable. But, for many men this
date resembles a time more important than carving pumpkins; it marks the eve of
No-Shave November.
This underground tradition goes back long before the caveman
era, back when Jesus made wearing a beard not only appropriate, but stylish. Facial hair marked the sign of a manly
man. A man, that wrestled wolves with
his bare hands, fought of bears for fish in the streams and carried a pocket
knife in his pocket at all times for no apparent reason. Yes, a beard tells the world; “No longer do I
have peach fuzz, this is real man hair. Hear me roar!”
As a child, that first patch of fuzz that started showing on
your upper lip was exciting. Receiving a
free razor and shaving cream in the mail from Gillette was another epic point
in our lives, eager to start shaving like a man. Some of us couldn't wait to start growing the
beard, in which case I’ll never forget my Grandpa Mallette giving me the manly
advice of, “Why don’t you put some cream on there and like the cat lick that
peach fuzz off.” That saying stuck with me.
No longer would peach fuzz be accepted for a man’s beard.
Now, as my first full year is wrapping up in the “real-world”
and I am now a professional, I find myself pondering the question “Can I grow a
man’s beard?”
What better time to start as No-Shave November draws near?
Though this concept may seem selfish to many (i.e. our lady-friends), I believe
I have found a way to give back as we grow.
I think it would be a great idea to make this into a charity for a men’s
shelter. I think if men want to grow a
beard it could be for a great cause! Of
course, you can grow a beard for No-Shave November for free, but wouldn't it be
for a better cause to give back? I will start this charity in the future, as
this year the idea came to me too late in the month to get organized. But I do
encourage men to rise this month, set the razors and shaving cream down and let
the manliness shine through your face! 
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