A few months into our first semester at Fordham, my buddy Mike and I decided we would grow goatees. After all, we were now grown up college MEN, not the "kids" that we had been just a short time before. We started to grow and as Mike's goatee began to fill in nicely, I came to a realization: I could grow a mean neck beard. Yeah, apparently normal facial hair wasn't in the cards for an 18 year old Frank McCaughey. At different times over the next 10 years I would grow my facial hair in but could never commit to it, probably because I was thinking back to my failed attempt years before.
After my wedding last August, I decided that I would take a break from shaving for the remainder of the summer and let the beard grow in. As the beginning of the school year closed in I had a decision to make: keep it or shave. While this may sound like a relatively simple decision, there is nothing simple about your appearance when you teach 150 6th and 7th graders (when I cut my hair short last year it caused quite a reaction from the students). If I were to keep it, it involved a 10 month commitment. After much debate I decided I would stick with it. School started, students commented (with my favorite being called "Sasquatch" by a former student)and overall I was well received....as far as I know.
Well sometimes life calls for change and after one of the worst/turbulent/maddening/saddening/every other emotion in the world weeks of my life I decided to shave my beard. Kate seems to be happy with it, saying that she "missed my face." I think she's just happy that she doesn't have to deal with my neurotic weekly beard trimmings in which I was convinced that I had messed it up. Either way, I'm happy that I kept it for the year and I'm sure 18 year old Frank is too.
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