I have got a confession to make. It is nothing monumental that is going to change the course of my life, or yours for that matter, but here it is . . . I cannot grow facial hair.

What I can grow is a series of stubs that, if left unchecked, turn into a series of whiskers. I am a “lay it all out there” kind of guy, so I don’t have any problem confessing this to you. In fact, my lack of facial hair draws me closer to the likes of Justin Bieber and Sidney Crosby, personal heroes of mine, who happen to be in the same boat as me.

But honestly, there is a part inside of me that wishes I could grow an awesome beard.

Let me break it down for you. Wherever I seem to go, all the cool people have a beard. It hit me when I was relaxing and reading a book. I took out my bookmark (which happens to be an old Starbucks iTunes “Pick of the Week”; they make amazing bookmarks) and I gazed upon it. It had a picture of five musicians that made up a relatively unknown band; the most captivating factor was that they all had beards. At that moment I got a little choked up as I remembered the fact that I can’t grow such a mass of hair on my face.

It seems that at every show, minus the Jonas Brothers and J-Biebs, there is an insane amount of guys who are sporting beards. They are rocking a filled out upper lip and chin; each one is different and unique in its own special way. Do you know the guys that I am talking about? They are the ones who you feel that you can go up to and give a big hug, expecting a warm embrace in return. Although I don’t advise that you start hugging all bearded the men around you, I am saying that there is something about the bearded persona and I want it.
So what perks do bearded people experience?

I talked with a bearded man by the name of Josh Reimer — he is someone who is quite fond of his beard. When asked the advantages of having such a mass of hair, he replied with: “I think it looks pretty awesome, and it makes you feel good.”

With a response like this, why wouldn’t you want one?! But having a beard can’t be all-awesome all the time can it? When asked about the cons of his facial hair, Reimer quickly pointed out that it doesn’t necessarily win your girlfriend’s heart. “When it comes down to it, she sometimes says it feels like sand paper.” Now hold up, if the ladies don’t love it, then why is it on your face? I guess each lady has her own opinions on facial hair — consider the reactions of loved ones carefully before growing your beard.

I am going to be honest. I can live with the fact that at this stage in life I cannot grow immense amounts of facial hair, but I must admit, the idea of having a wicked beard is something quite appealing. I am not desperate enough to start putting hair growth solutions on my face, but if I ever mature to the point where facial hair is an option, you know I am jumping all over it.