Editor’s Note: This week’s Movember mustache tale comes from a near-original member of the whole Mo movement – Richard Owen of our Chicago Dads Group. Richard was one of the 450 people who participated in second-ever Movember. As the photos with his post show, he’s done it many times since. In an email he sent us, Richard said, “One of the more fun parts are the looks and occasional nods that you get the second half of the month. It is also an interesting ice-breaker in a social setting.” — KMcK.
Effortlessly, I texted to a friend “My Mo’s name is Rodger and I am keeping him.” We were comparing facial hair via a series of photos on our iPhones.
Things are so easy now. Texts, apps, tweets, Facebook posts. Don’t get me started on blogs. Not so back in 2004. There may have been a Movember website but it was grassroots, word of mouth. I was in Melbourne, Australia, then and a buddy of mine knew a guy who knew another guy who had a friend who grew a moustache the year before. A dwindling circle of friends decided to give it a try, and it was a lot of fun. I had dabbled in facial hair before, I was a grown man after all, and the goatee that I sported for a few months made me look hard (I am not hard). My Mo gave me then and gives me now a certain je ne sais quoi.
In mid-October, I explained to my Wall Street employer what I was planning. I was pleased to be given the green light, and surprised to see the email go around encouraging others to get involved in the cause. A couple of guys in the office are giving it a try for the first time. I enjoy the camaraderie and banter that Movember brings. It has also become a talking point with clients.
My daughter turns 3 today, so, my wife naturally had some fears about her birthday photos being ruined by Rodger. Graciously, my daughter (who has final say on most things in our family) gave her approval last week when she asked, “Can I have a moustache too?”
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You can donate to Richard or any member of our Movember Dads/Bloggers team at HTTP://MOTEAM.CO/DADS-BLOGGERS.
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