When I first saw the term “Movember“, I thought it either had something to do with getting more exercise (move-mber) or perhaps some LGBT pride thing (mo-vember). I would be excited for either of those, but when I found out it was just another name for No-Shave-November, I was slightly disappointed. I totally support the idea behind it; raising awareness about men’s health issues, but I couldn’t help but feel slightly left out.
Now, I could have gone all out and not shaved my legs or armpits for the entire month, but that’s not really my cup of tea. Therefore I was limited to drawing moustaches on my finger and holding a moustache-on-a-stick up to my face. This may come as a surprise to you (or not at all), but drawing finger moustaches and holding moustaches-on-a-stick is not something new to me. It’s not like I’m doing anything special or going out of my way to do these things.
Exhibit A:
I started feeling like Movember might be a lost cause for me; that I’d never quite feel like I was a part of it. That’s when I started to look at the principles behind Movember rather than just the physical act of growing a moustache (or drawing one). Movember is really about being a part of something bigger than yourself. It’s about building community and friendship. It’s making a commitment and working towards a goal. I realized that I can be a part of it. After all, bringing those principles into your life may be just as important (if not more) than growing a moustache.
Happy Movember.
