Once upon a time I couldn’t exist without reading all the breaking news online as I woke up and went to bed, and listened to talk radio and Radio National all day and night whilst in my ute or on the tractors. Now it’s rare for me even to pick up a paper… being the subject of the media does that to you..

Anyways - today The Courier Mail did a great two pager on the Noosa Farmers Markets, highlighting our Farmer Dave Free-range Lamb concept, so whilst I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face, I read on and found an engrossing article…no, not on the US Primaries… please, do we have to deal with their preselection battles here in such detail? I mean, how many times do we have to hear that Hilary is wearing this or that but she hates being victimised for her appearance, or how it’s all about what racial group you belong to as to who you will support… I seriously can’t stand that campaigning…

Back to the engrossing article… It was a series of letters from well known Queenslanders from themselves now to themselves at 17…

I have always reflected on myself and tried my best to fulfill all my dreams I had whilst growing up…and regularly check in on myself at varying ages…and am often doing things I am not really interested in to ensure that I live out all my wishes as a kid.

But I really gave up on conversations with myself from adolescence onwards… so I found their choice in age 17 very interesting. Maybe it’s because I began to stifle myself at that age or, on deeper thought, rather than adventures I wanted to pursue and places I wanted to go, I began an inward journey into thoughts, ideas and reflection on the Earth’s history and its politics… It was an odd time of deep self-loathing and overachieving whilst coping with the brunt of a self-inflicted victim status and very difficult coming of age.

So here goes…

Dear David,

Happy 17th Birthday.

Enjoy today, it won’t ever happen again. Enjoy the pain, the hurt, enjoy being skinny and gangly, because soon enough you won’t be. Love your mother, she doesn’t know what you know and you don’t need to tell her until you are ready..and that may be a long time away..she loves you unconditionally. Friends come and friends go, hang with those who make you smile, if no one does don’t fear being alone, you will always be surrounded by those who love you and they may not always be the same people from year to year, but the love won’t stop.

Don’t worry too much about what other people think, they are just as worried about what you’re thinking of them.

You will be afraid of what you know and what you don’t know…but feel the fear and do it anyway!

It’s all going to turn out fine…oh one last thing…stop stressing about finding your other half, your own journey will make you complete.

love ya,

Dave

It’s funny looking back, other then being an extremely shy, sad closet case, I was pretty well adjusted… Wow, it’s so weird to look back and really feel what it was like to be 17…it’s almost like yesterday whilst at the same time forever ago… I hardly know the excruciatingly shy boy I was.

What would you write in a letter to yourself at 17? Do you remember all that fear and trepidation, the excitement and the inability to be responsible…the pivotal year you’re transcended into adulthood.