My Face Feels Naked

So yesterday i came back from manning the GSSA table at UAB, and i was so tired of the bear(d) on my face that i grabbed my razor and headed into the bathroom. I emerged 5 minutes later minus the beard….and feeling like a complete idiot. Those of you who have never (or cant) grow a beard dont know the absolute horror of looking into the mirror and not recognizing the person staring back at you. I feel as though I have betrayed my face. My face gets back at me every time I look into a mirror. one of the reasons i shaved it all off (and no there wont be any pics posted) is because i started looking into the mirror and seeing someone i wasnt prepared to see. My Father.
For years growing up, family members called me “Little Thomas” and commented on how much I looked like my dad. I never saw it, until I grew a beard. Though, it wasnt so much the beard as it was the mustache. For as far back as I can remember, my dad always had a mustache. And when i would look into the mirror and watch me do the same facial expressions as my father… it creeped me out!
Now I wish I hadnt shaved it off. Not because I miss looking like my father, but because now I look like a bad version of me. I suppose it will take time to adjust to not having facial hair. And who knows, maybe i’ll grow it back soon. Until then, I’m avoiding mirrors.