I didn't grow my first beard until my early 30s. I loved it. My weird shaped face suddenly had balance to it and I "looked" like a Scotsman. My beard brought out my heritage. Loved it.

Back then, in the '70s was in corporate American and the beard caused some hassles...some thought I was trying to be a hippie....was working NYC and the east coast in the dry goods business and some of my Jewish customers started calling me the "Goy Rabbi" after a coworker taught me a few words of Yiddish.

Shaved it off to apply for a promotion years later and was nearly frightened by what lay underneath and promptly grew it back.

I shaved it again in early sobriety in 1990 for "a change." When I looked in the mirror afterwards I was horrified to find my long dead father's face staring back at me. Again, I grew the beard right back.

Holier than thou folks used to say my beard was "hiding" the real me. I'd counter that no, shaving off your Creator given whiskers is hiding the real you.

I do trim my cheeks and still shave my neck for comfort. Overall I really like wearing a beard and I do like how it looks with kilts.

And, somewhere along the line I became a graybeard....

Ron