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Hi guys and gals,
I received two separate comments on my hair and beard yesterday.
The first was from a four or five year old boy who was leaving a store with his mother. He came up to me and said
"goodbye magic guy". I looked at him quizically and noticed his mother had a big smile. She said "He thinks your a wizzard!. I smiled and said goodbye little guy!-------the second encounter took place at a cafe I stopped at later. A young waiter with a stubble of a beard took my order and walked away. While I was waiting for my food to arrive I noticed him looking at me from the cashiers station. When he brought my food I said thanks and he paused for a moment and then said. "OK, I have to ask. How long did it take to grow your beard? My brother is 22 and I'm 24 and we both want to grow our beards out." I told him that I had been growing it our ever since I retired which was 16 months ago. I explained that I did have a short trimmed beard while I was working that was just a little longer than his stubble. He sail,"Wow, I thought you were going to say 5 or 6 years. That seems like a short time to grow it that long." I said everyone is different and explained that I had beeen growing my hair out for almost 20 years. He said,"Yeah,I want to do that too!" It's fun being inspirational.
peace, jonalbear
Hi jonalbear,
This is a great story! Kids seem to have a whole different view of things. Somewhere along the line we lose our sense of wonder and become jaded. Hopefully you have inspired the brothers to grow their beards out. Your beard is something to behold I must say! Hope you have a safe and long weekend my friend!
Ted
Back in the 1980s when I had a beard I usually kept it very short. I found that when I had a long beard it was
difficult to keep it clean when eating. So later in the 1980s
I gave up on the beard, but have kept the moustache all these
years. I loved having a beard but it was too difficult to keep
clean, especially when eating.
There were several times when the beard got quite long but it also got very dirty. Even washing every day in the shower and after meals wasn't working in keeping it clean. Even when keeping the beard short, I still found hard to keep clean.
Hair you can tie back in a pony tail/braid/etc. but no matter how
careful you are you'll still get food in the beard even when it is short. And it is hard to clean. And some foods are not beard friendly.
The secret is to put your food in your MOUTH! [wink]
Seriously, there are a few foods best avoided with a big beard. Eat ice cream in a cup, because in a cone it will get stuck in your beard, quickly melt, and then drip down all over your shirt. And avoid cotton candy at all costs!
If you have a white beard, avoid mustard. The yellow color will not completely wash out without a real soaking.
When you have a short beard you can't do this, but with a long one, most stuff caught in it will be far enough away from your mouth that you can put the part of the beard with the food IN YOUR MOUTH where you can use your tongue and saliva to clean it off.
And always get extra napkins. Just tell the waiter. And after dinner, if they have no towels in the men's room where you are washing out your beard, just wash your beard, go back into the dining room, and ask any waiter for some napkins. Your need for them while you are dripping all over their floor will be obvious. Those air blowers are useless if you have a beard AND long hair, because they will just blow both upward and make a mess of both.
Bill
Bill,
Thanks for the great advice!
peace,
jonalbear
Ted,
Thanks so much for your kind words!
peace,
jonalbear
Thanks for sharing these positive experiences! For all of the negative feedback guys often receive for looking (or otherwise being) something other than cookie-cutter "normal," it's good to be reminded that there are plenty of people out there who are willing to let you know they find joy in your uniqueness.
My family and I were at a bookstore a couple of weeks ago, when I saw a young man and his female friend who were clearly of the "goth" persuasion... black clothing, heavy eyeliner, black fingernail polish, etc. She was wearing a black trenchcoat embellished with steel studs and a chain of safety pins up the spine, and he wore a black turtleneck sweater with long steel nails sticking outward from the collar, all around his neck, and one jagged, metal shoulder guard (or "pauldron," for the armor afficionados among you), affixed with to the sweater with wire. It was clear from their animated conversation by the comic book/graphic novel shelf that they really enjoyed being in each other's company. However, their body language belied a measure of self-consciousness--even fear--of being judged and stared at by so-called "normal" folk. I really admired the courage they displayed though, and their unwillingness to conform for the sake of feeling "safe" in a world full of squares. As I approached them, they visibly tensed up and grew a bit uncomfortable. I put my hand on the young man's (unarmored) shoulder, looked him in the eye, and said, "I really appreciate your authenticity, brother," then winked and smiled at the young lady and said, "You, too." You could just see and feel the tension drain out of them as they smiled and offered heartfelt "thank you's."
Be safe and use good judgment, but don't be afraid to offer kudos to people who deserve it. Sometimes even a small gesture of goodwill and acceptance can make all the difference in a person's life.
--Val
Damn Val, I just have to recommend you on this one- you are one HECK of an awesomely positive guy, and getting such a comment from a total stranger, whether back when I was an awkward teen or now, would definitely make my day!
You rock, bro! :)
That was so awesome, I have inserted your name into my lexicon.
Val-i-du-sian
/ValidooZHən/
~Adjective~
Of, relating to, or characteristic of being so monumentally awesome and/or kindhearted, that you transcend any mortal means of measurement and/or definition.
Am I being a tad hyperbolic? Perhaps... But it was still a pretty cool thing to do. :)
~Never stop growing, friends. Mind, body, and soul.~
-Septet
I think Val-i-du-sian should be added to the MLHH lexicon!
Haha! Thanks for the ego-boost, guys, but seriously...
Pretty much everything I know about how to be a good person, I can credit to the late Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets and one of my all-time greatest personal heroes.
Here's a short clip of the song "It's in Every One of Us," by John Denver, being performed by some of the Muppeteers at a tribute held in Jim's honor, shortly after his death in 1990.
It's in Every One of Us
Yes Val, it really made my day to know these people had positive things to say about my appearance. I don't get many negative remarks but but do get a lot of odd looks and stares at times.
peace,
jonalbear
I love this Val. Thanks for sharing it. Ive always felt a kinship and respect for those who dare to be different.
Hey Val
Thanks for sharing that story. It would actually make for a very good YT video with the point being: just be yourself and do not "allow" the run-of-the-mill society bunch to make you think that you have to conform to what they are all doing. (Who wants to be a clone?)
Best always
Justin~
Hi Jonalbear!
Definitely a fun story to read, and it's always fun to get such positive comments from people that are inspired by you and dare to come ahead and be open about a least-than-poupular theme such as hair and beard growth!
Have a great weekend!
Raul,
Thanks for your positive comments.
peace,
jonalbear
Now that's just damn manly! You look like you eat other people's beards for breakfast!
In all seriousness, you do look a bit like Hagrid with that beard. Though not the hair, which is disproportionally luxurious. However, I cannot deny that it works in your favor. If I saw you in a robe and pointy hat, I would not give it a second glance. As they say, "seems legit."
I'm glad that you got to speak to a person you inspired. I'd really like to meet Jason David Frank, (For you older folks out there, he played the Green Ranger, Tommy Oliver, in the original Power Rangers) even though he's since cut his hair off. I really wanted to be like him as a kid; have sweet long hair, know kung fu, and summon dragon robots with a magical flute/dagger. Now that I'm an adult, I'm almost 2/3 there! Unfortunately, I still need to learn kung fu...
~Never stop growing, friends. Mind, body, and soul.~
-Septet
Septet,
This was the first wizzard reference I can remember receiving. It was cool because I usually get biker or Tommy Chong references. Thanks for your compliments!
peace,
jonalbear
In a word, WOOF!
Just as with your mane, it is clear you've got the great genetics to grow thick hair on your face. You've got it, John, and now you can flaunt it!
Are you going to let it go to terminal? I want to get lost in it the next time we are in Michigan!
Bill
Thanks Bill,
Yes, I'm wanting to see what length I can achieve without cutting. Looking forward to seeing you guys so that you can get lost!
peace,
John
Hey jonalbear! :-)
What great stories. Isn't it so much fun when a day comes along like this. Glad it happened to you yesterday.
I remember one time a little kid in the grocery store saw me and said to his Mother: "Mommy, is that Jesus?" (The mother was trying to hush him up.) Meanwhile I turned around and walked right by their shopping cart which he was sitting in, put my hand on his head as I passed by and said: "Bless you my Son." I could see a great big smile on his Mothers facde at that one.
All the best to you and John for a great weekend.
Justin~
Justin,
Yes it made my day. A great story yourself!
peace,
jonalbear
Hi there John,
I love stories like that being told here as it makes me think us longhairs, and bearded ones,are in a way kinda special:)That was a cute comment by the little boy as years ago some young boy I encountered in my travels referred to me as Jesus!LOL.Of course my hair was very blonde back then too.Interesting too about the waiter as normally young men have trouble growing beards at their age while head hair is a different story. Well you were an inspiration that day so job well done my friend:)Cheers
Mârk
Yeah it's cool Mark!
I never get Jesus references much, I think because my beard is very bushy and my build is stocky. I was told by a co-worker(when he first saw me with my hair down)that I looked like one of the Allman brothers and I took that as a high compliment.
peace,
jonalbear
Great stories. I'm not surprised that they made your day, like you said. They should have. That sort of thing gives you faith in your fellow man that they still have the compassion and caring to encourage a person when the occasion presents itself. Speaking of encouragement, your hair and beard are awesome! Excellent is definately the word here. keep up the good work.
Myself, more than once, people have compared me to Willie Nelson. Don't know if that is something to be encouraged about, but at least it's something!
Peace,
Steve
When my beard was shorter (see above), I had people saying I looked like Willie Nelson, and I figured so long as they didn't work for the IRS, that was a good thing!
Bill
OKCdude,
Thank you for the compliments! Willie is one of the coolest people on the planet in my book. I would take comparisons to him with great pride!
peace,
jonalbear
You do realize that Willie Nelson cut his hair a while back?
I was very dissappointed to hear that, although it is his hair
and he has the right to do with it what he wants. But when i wore
mu hair pig tails I considered him a role model.
He only cut it to his shoulders and it is growing back and even if it didn't he is still cool!
peace,
jonalbear
Hi Magic Guy,
Looking super - love it! I've gotten that look/pause/"I have to ask: How long..." routine from others, too.
What a wonderful conversation starter hair and beards can be.
- Oren
Thanks Oren,
I can see why you would get that look,pause, OK I have to ask query. great looking beard and head of hair. Like the look of your two into one beard braid! Keep it growin' 'n' flowin'!
peace,
jonalbear
Looking great, John! Both the hair and beard are looking awesome. Good to see you on here. Hope you have been doing good brother.
Thanks Mark,
peace, John