@linguaphile
After my brother and I had moved our Mom to an assisted living facility, we began the long, arduous process of clearing-out her house. Mom had been in her house for 40 years, so every drawer, cupboard, and closet was packed with things.
In my old bedroom, I found a letter that I’d written at age 21 (it was dated). For whatever reasons, I’d kept, rather than sent, the letter. I’d poured-out my love for some guy, expressed my deep regrets about having left him, and said that I’d never stop blaming myself or missing him. As you can imagine, the language was very flowery and passionate; I even addressed the letter to “My darling” instead of his name.
You can probably guess what’s coming… When I found the silly letter, after all those years, I had no idea of the subject’s identity! The unforgettable love-of-my-life was long forgotten. I could remember a few possible candidates from that period of time, but I don’t know which one inspired me to write such sappiness.
I’m guessing that you, too, got past your age 21 romance fairly quickly. Life can be so good at letting us move on.