Jonathan Meyer.

Many times I have shared my infatuation with facial hair. Albeit sometimes strange, how you look is part of your identity. From the time I could grow the thinnest of mustaches and have a little bit of peach fuzz on my chin I was a happy guy.

It amazes me to think that I’ve had some amount of facial hair since June 2020. I started out with barely enough hair to call it a goatee. That look stayed around for far longer than it should have. Regardless of how it looked, I rocked both junior and senior year of high school with an interesting but distinctive look. People really recognized me when I’d throw a black sweatband in my hair and started running track or cross country races. What some might consider to be a super “manly” look, I would just giggle at. Everytime I looked into a mirror I felt like a little kid who was still dreaming about being an adult and having great facial hair.

I kept the goatee around until August 2023. I was about to depart on an out of state trip to get away from my busy summer of writing the paper and mowing, when I felt it was time for a change. On my way home from work I stopped at a barber shop and let the good man do his work. Crazy to think I paid someone to get rid of a majority of what I worked so hard to grow and maintain for those three years.

The mustache look served me well for quite some time. I entered college looking a lot closer to my fellow classmates, who were all a year younger than me because of my gap year. I have no doubt that decision helped me connect with my cross country teammates and people I met around campus.

A personal favorite memory from this “era” was during a field experience placement in a middle school. A 6th grader walked up to me while I was on recess duty and said “Mister, I really like your mustache, It’s incredibly thick”. One of the most random moments in my two decades of existence.

The final phase in my facial hair journey is my current favorite. In February 2024 I decided to see what happens when I stop shaving and let my face do whatever it wants. While I was not very confident at first it eventually evened out and I had a full beard. This helped me fit in well with my mowing coworker who also is adorned with a beautiful beard. I was much more recognizable in cross country this past fall. Having a big beard and long hair is a distinctive look for sure. I’ve been told many times I look like a certain christian religious figure…

This week my beard turned a year old, a milestone no one but myself was counting. Since I have a summer birthday and never have gotten to celebrate it with my school friends I decided to celebrate the occasion. Going out and purchasing a sheet cake and some party hats along with a number one candle, my three roommates and I celebrated. A big thank you to Caleb, Chris, and Dawson, my beard felt honored last night!

Until my next facial hair style, I’m Just Jonathan.