My Thoughts/Experience With No Shave November or "Movember"

Hello again faithful readers.

Hope this finds you well. Hope your holidays are filled with love and good cheer :)

So I think you all should be aware of, I participated in No Shave November, or "Movember" for the first year ever. An interesting experience to say the least, but worthwhile for sure. Thought I would share some thoughts about the events in the last month.

First, I have to mention how generous people were for their giving with this cause, especially a number of my co workers at Staples. I originally thought I would lucky to raise $100, then $200, then $300, then $500, and ending with aiming for $1,000. I was only $50 short as of this entry (donations still welcomed and appreciated at http://mobro.co/clintcrockett). A big thank you to all of you who have (or will) contribute. I do plan to thank you in a more personal way as well.

Second, my facial hair grows quicker than I thought. I remember growing out my beard my senior year of college and feeling like I barely made a dent... not the case anymore. Long, shaggy, itchy, I'm am truly a man's man now... Not sure how I feel about it. Either way, it is what it is.

Third, there are a lot more people doing this then I thought. And most of them are doing it to be a part of something to raise awareness and rally people together. I'm glad I raised funds in addition to the awareness part, but I am touched by how many others take it among themselves to pay tribute to men and men's health... And I hope next year will be even bigger.

Next, I do believe this is a little bit of a sacrifice. At the beginning, my skin was the works I think it's ever been... As the hair grew out, it got better, but it's tough to shave again (I'm sensitive). I never really had much of a sacrifice in the sense of looking professional, but I could see that being a barrier. The biggest obstacle though was not being able to get as close to Carolyn. She didn't complain, she grinned and "beard" it, but I know there were times when she didn't appreciate it. Heck, towards the end, there would be times I'd go in for a kiss that would be interrupted by my nose neighbor going up her nose or rubbing her the wrong way (puns are fun). Thanks for being so tolerant for the cause care :)

Yes, I will be doing this next year. My goal is already set at $1,000... for my team. That's right, I think we can get some more peeps aboard the "Mo Foos" team and raise some cash for prostate cancer foundation, LiveStrong, and other men's health organizations (don't believe me? Check out the website http://us.movember.com/about/). I also might trim and groom a little more than this past year, maybe just do the mustache, whatever it takes to get attention and sponsorship... who's in?

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure has done amazing things and raised insane amounts of money for breast cancer treatment, research, and awareness, but they've done all of this in the name of women (who are much more strongly affected by breast cancer, though men can get it too. Ask my Grandpa). I really feel like November should be Prostate Cancer awareness month (according to WebMD, "About 80 percent of men who reach age 80 have prostate cancer cells in their prostate"). But we don't need a ribbon, we have our mustaches (AKA Mos) to spread the word and show our support, but that ladies should wear a light blue ribbon, per Wikipedia. Next year, I hope to rally even more support, drum more interest, and really get the ball rolling on this movement, and I hope you'll join me.

There you go, my thoughts on the past month. Hope you agree, but if you don't, that's cool. Regardless on how you feel, I hope you keep your loved ones close and count your blessings over the holiday season... And remember, a new year is right around the corner.

Drop me a line soon amigos!

Clint

P.S. If you have a loved one fighting cancer, make sure to check out FamilyAssets.