Why are you growing a beard?

I actually cut it about two months ago, not all the way off but i left an inch or two lol. Anyways ive gotten this question a few times before but i always seem to give different answers but all the answers are true to the question. I started growing my face hair after watching a TV show a while back called Swamp People there were two brothers on there that had very nice beards and i was like "hey maybe i can do that i wonder what ill look like with a beard" so i started growing. Ive been a LONG time fan of ZZ Top so theres that, my dad has always had a thick goutee style beard all my life and i really look up to my dad so i guess i wanted to be like my dad and have a beard like him one day so theres another inspiration. By then my beard was at about 3 to 4 inches, my best friend grew his out also in a long goutee style he absolutely loved his beard as if it was a living thing, we would both hang out and enjoy talking and sharing beard talk and hair care stuff with each other. He soon joined the army tho and as army protocol goes you must have a clean shaven face nearly all the time....he was heartbroken and i mean like REALLY sad about it. I made a promise to him that all the while he was in the army id continue to grow my beard out to make up for his lost length which i did and i was at about 5 and a half to 6 inches by then. I did however continue to let it grow and let nature take its course, i get a LOT of attention because of my beard im constantly getting called a plethora of fitting nicknames, ive had a really amazing amount of people want their picture taken with me because of the beard, ive had free bar drinks bought for me because of the beard, ive even had bands at live concerts stop playing whatever they were playing and do tribute zz top songs for me and i even got to meet the lead singer of a band i really like called Blackberry Smoke all because their singer liked my beard.

All in all the beard has given me nothing but good outcome and lots of happiness, looking back on making the descision of growing it out im glad i did and i wouldnt change a thing ^.^