Movember was an idea that became an annual fundraising movement. People grow a moustache over the month of November to help raise money for men’s health and well-being.
I participated once over a dozen years ago, inspired by the idea and by how close to home it hit after my grandfather was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
I joined again a few years later, when I’d become a father. But in short order my moustache freaked the hell out of my daughter. My wife and I couldn’t figure it out — Does she somehow not recognize me? Does she not like facial hair in general? Does it just look that bad? — so I reluctantly cut the fundraiser short that year. And opted out of it in following years.
Well, as we know, especially as we age, years roll into other years, and momentum is a real thing for people. So the few years when my temporary moustache may have freaked out my daughter became the vast bulk of her young life that I didn’t participate in the fundraiser.
But now that’s all changed. She’s actually starting to encourage me to grow a moustache, or seemingly better yet, a beard. And while I don’t know that that’s going to happen — even a few days of not shaving gets my face pretty itchy, so I can’t imagine half a face of even longer hair — I can certainly put up with it for a month to help raise money for a good cause.
I’m also participating in another angle they’ve developed to the fundraiser of walking 60 km over the month to raise awareness for the global average of 60 men a day who commit suicide.
If you’d like to support me, and/or just to see how my various progress is going — they encourage regular facial photo updates and there’s a tracker for how far I’ve walked — please visit my Movember page here.
Whether or not you can donate anything, please help spread the word, either for me personally or for this great cause as a whole that your other family and friends may be involved with. Please do anything you can to help support health and well-being for our grandfathers, fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons.
Thanks!