I Should Have Got Flowers!!!

Holy crap, I missed our 1st anniversary!


I can't believe it...my first year as a wetshaver is behind me. It's been a weird road--I've gone through a lot of products, and a lot of ups and downs, and the tone of this whole blog has changed a lot in just a year...but I'm still at it! Which is odd for me, as I usually let things go pretty quickly.

I still have reviews I want to write, and I still have lots to learn about honing, and razors and history (and pretty much everything under the sun) and I plan to share that with you. So the blog won't be dying, and I hope it won't be boring.

But right now, I suppose it's time to get a little reflective...think about what I'm doing, and what I've done, and why...

When I first started this whole thing, this is what I said:

We don't have many coming-of-age rituals anymore. There's nothing that really happens and lets people know "You are an adult" now. And I feel I missed out on something. My dad never taught me to shave (my dad never really taught me shit) and looking at what shaving really is, I feel I missed out. I always treated it as a "get it done and try not to hurt yourself too much" kind of thing, which is why I had a beard for nearly ten years. Now I know, with some practice and the right tutelage, shaving can actually be GOOD for you.

It's not just the fact that traditional creams and shaving soaps are easier on your skin, better smelling, and much more economical than all the plastic, science lab stuff that people use to shave these days. It's the fact that, with a little skill and patience, the heretofore lamentable task of daily shaving can become an enjoyable ritual, a time to relax and forget your cares, and take some time for yourself. I look forward to the time when shaving becomes something I actually anticipate with pleasure, instead of dread. And someday, if I have a son, I look forward to the day when I can hand him a razor and say, "Ok boy, this is how you do it."

And you know what? I was right. I do look forward to shaving, almost always...I've had my bad days, of course. And it is a truly enjoyable ritual, and it has done me good. It's good for the world (less waste) it's good for your pocketbook (if you're not a crazy collector like me) and it's good for your soul...you look yourself in the face and focus on exactly what you are doing--if you don't, you will get hurt. The long and the short of it is, I made a damned good decision when I picked up that brush and that first awful, awful cream.

So a year later, and there's no sign of me getting tired of the daily shave...in fact, there's every sign of me getting even MORE involved--I'm signing up for more forums, and starting Shaving goods shops, and learning more and more about what I'm doing.

Let's hope it continues to go well!

So...how was your year?