Dear Lily,
Here you are, about to board the plane to London today.
You already know that you’re running away from a small country town and a cute country boy, and running towards bright lights and adventure. Good on you! Every girl should travel while they’re young. Travel while you’re bold enough to do all those risky things because when you’re a middle-aged mum you’ll have other responsibilities and you won’t be so fearless (or flexible).
So go white water rafting (hold on tight when you get to the second rapids in the Zambezi, the lady beside is gonna fall in and try to take you with her); go hot air ballooning across the Serengeti (it will be a bumpy landing but don’t worry about that, you’ll pull through). Remember to pack some kind of roll-up mattress. Africa is very bumpy if all you have between you and the earth is the tent floor.
Mostly, I want you to consider this . . .
Your friends will move on while you’re overseas travelling. Some will go to university, some will get married, others move away and some will have babies by the time you get back. Life moves on… don’t expect that you can leave now and come back and step into your old life. You’re doing your life in a different order. You’re having the fun now and you’ll come back and get stuck into career, study, the wrong boyfriends and much later, the right boyfriend who will become your husband, and then your family. The downside of that is, your body is older, and you won’t roll with the 2am, 4am and 5am punches of needy babies. But you’ll deal with it. Take heart in the knowledge that the never-ending nappies do actually end, and you won’t be the milk truck forever.
If there’s one thing I’d say to you, it’s this: “Stop worrying so much about what other people think of you. Other people are not talking about you or watching you every second of every day. You are not that interesting! Don’t be so self-absorbed. It is not all about you!”
A word to the wise: Don’t take every rejection personally. (This will help you deal with 1-star book reviews when you’re 45).
Love,
Your 45 year old self.
p.s. That Queensland cane-cutter who is sweet on you in Crete? Don’t dance the Lambada with him. It only leads to trouble…
p.p.s Buy shares in a company called Google.
Lily Malone writes Australian Contemporary Romance with Escape
Publishing. You can BUY The Goodbye Ride from Amazon AUS . Lily’s writing style blends romance with her delightful (sometimes cheeky) sense of humour and fresh, whimsical turn of phrase. Also by Lily Malone: So Far Into You, His Brand of Beautiful, and Fairway to Heaven.
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Wanting to honour the lost art of letter writing through this blog series, I also opened my fourth novel with a character writing a letter. And not just any letter. It’s a story –perhaps the most important he’ll ever tell.
The Other Side of the Season
Life is simple on top of the mountain for David, Matthew and Tilly until the winter of 1979 when tragedy strikes, starting a chain reaction that will ruin lives for years to come. Those who can, escape the Greenhill banana plantation on the outskirts of Coffs Harbour. One stays—trapped for the next thirty years on the mountain and haunted by memories and lost dreams. That is until the arrival of a curious young woman, named Sidney, whose love of family shows everyone the truth can heal, what’s wrong can be righted, the lost can be found, and . . . there’s another side to every story.
CLICK for more or leave a comment below for Lily.
Gosh. I hope I listen!
I love this letter! It’s so full of love, wisdom and warmth. Just delightful!
Thanks Nene. I was worried it was too preachy and younger me would tell older me to take a chill pill.
Love it! And love the idea of an epistolary beginning for a story. I admit I haven’t read your latest yet, Jenn, but it’s on the list!
Well, first of all I have to go google epistolary before I really get stressed out…
… *crickets*
… *crickets*
Right – yes I too love the idea of an epistolary beginning for a story. Just not an episiotomy ending which was my first thought #gah
Thanks very much, lovely Imelda 🙂
p.s. I’m reading the 3rd seasons book at the moment.
Loved reading this Lily Malone! Struck lots of chords with me. Thanks for another great blog series Jenn.
Thanks Sara!
Hi ya Lily, Love it! True that life and people move on.
They do. It can make for lonely times though, coming back and feeling like everyone else has moved on without you. xx
Yes it does but it also makes you reflect on what you want out of your life. It’s a good nudge in the right direction. 🙂
<3
Great letter Lily! I hope you listen 😀
Thanks Kerrie!
Wonderful letter, Lily. You’ve reminded me of how, for a few years, I felt as if everyone else’s life was moving forward and mine wasn’t—they’d settled down, bought a house, started a family, while I seemed to be a perpetual student, single and penniless. At the time, I wanted to catch up; now I look back and think, Why the hurry?
How universal is worrying about what everyone else thinks? We’ve all done it and made terrible decisions because of it. Half the time, no one would have cared what we did anyway, and how liberating it would have been to go with our gut. It’s one of the biggest burdens I wish I’d shaken off much sooner than I did.
Definitely! Very well said, Louise.