I met two girls at the market one Saturday who reminded me of you at their age.  They started talking to me at the sock stall when I was on a mission to buy red socks. Why was I even looking for a red sock?  Just like looking at my red shoes and feeling skippy happy I thought wearing red socks would give me the same effect! But I digress.

You see long after our chatty encounter I thought of those girls, dressed up in cute Winter outfits, a little Bloomsburyish, very excited to be traveling interstate and making their way around a crowded market, they talked about the friends they were traveling with, how they loved the island.  A whole world of possibilities and time in front of them if only they really knew.

One of the girls was buying a pair of red socks for their mutual male friend (a male friend who the sock buyer obviously wanted to kiss).  The male friend in question only had one pair of socks, they were red and had lots of holes.  The conversation shifted to cheery happy sock colours, I was served, we said our goodbyes and wished each other well.

But here is the thing 23 year old Jude, if I could have that conversation again with those lovely girls and with you I would say this.  Darlings, buy those red socks for yourself, that boy who only wears one pair of red hole-y socks can get off his bum, hung over or not and buy his own pair of socks.  If  you think buying a pair of red socks will help get him to like you, I promise he is going to go home with another girl who has no consideration for his footwear!

Believe it or not, you and your great love will find each other when you are both ready.  And until you look up one day and realise you are locking eyes with the the love of your life, go about the business of being beautiful you because you my darling are you!

 

*I first published this letter to myself on my Instagram account @fairywrencottage on the 12 September 2018 and really want to put it here for safe keeping. The cooler months are here again and I must get to  Salamanca Markett to buy my annual sock stash. Red socks are still on the top of my shopping list! The stall I buy them from is www.mongrelsocks.com/ or you can find them on instagram @mongrelsocks those mongrel socks they make on a 90yr old machine are priceless and I couldn’t go through a Tassie winter without them.

 

Jude x