Last night I dreamed that I was walking by a mirror and I didn’t recognize the chubby-cheeked reflection. It was me, but I’d inadvertently shaved my beard off. Unfortunately there’s real-life precedent for this. One hung over morning about a month ago I nearly turned one cheek into a goatee and mutton chop combo…

After I moved to Asheville in 2000 and went to Nepal in November of that year, I let my face grow long. That was a big time of transition. I didn’t really realize it then, but I’d finally put all the emotional mess from the divorce behind me and was ready to start again. Looking back I see growing the beard as an unconscious symbol of this change.

So in my dream I shaved it. I don’t know what that means exactly, but I think its important to keep in mind.