# To toss or not to toss old letters from ex-girlfriends, HS & college pals, etc.? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403 "2005-06-08T03:46:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![grettle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@grettle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grettle)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403/21 "2005-06-09T17:55:44Z")
I found it most satisfying to throw away everything from past loves that I didn’t want to keep in my life, which I did last summer when my dad made me clean out my closet (I hadn’t lived there in 6 years). But I have a problem emotionally holding onto things, so I think it was theraputic in my case. I never looked at them, but their presence made me feel attached or at least not let go completely. Then again, the things I learned from them always stay with me. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403/22 "2005-06-09T19:39:24Z")
Keep them. It doesn’t take up much space if you file/store it correctly. You won’t regret keeping them, but you might regret losing them. I am glad I kept all the letters from my high school boyfriend. 11 years later, we met again, fell in love again, and we are together now and I am about to move across the country to live with him. The letters from him are invaluable, and I am very glad I kept them. As I have been packing for my move, I went through all my other letters, and it was a wonderful walk through memory lane. I will never give them up. ---
**Author:** ![MsPrufrock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@MsPrufrock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsPrufrock)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403/23 "2005-06-09T20:33:54Z")
Keep them!! I’m with **Jonathan Chance** here - someday someone will want those as a piece of history - a window into one 20th and 21st century person! I have several flat plastic containers with my old pictures, clippings and magazine scraps from HS and college. They also contain all the journals and diaries I’ve kept over the years. I plan to be a veritable treasure trove for some historian in years to come! 😃 Keep them - and keep them in their original form. Think of the future historians! Seriously! ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403/24 "2005-06-09T20:57:44Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I think it’s a mistake to get wallowed down in the past. It keeps you from moving forward as a person. That doesn’t mean you should close the door on it. I keep all old letters and things. Some of the coolest mementos I have are old cards, poems, drawings, etc. from old friends and lovers. And I have some interesting correspondence from a guy I knew who was in the army. I can’t imagine throwing all of that stuff away. I would miss it for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403/25 "2005-06-09T21:01:49Z")
The less insight historians have on my romantic life of women other than my future wife, the happier I’ll be. I scortch all evidence of my past love affairs: photos, letters, notes, gifts. Once the love has all gone sour, I want no physical reminders, ever. If I must think about a girl, the right song or food will do. Every woman I’ve seriously been with has one “assigned” to her. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403/26 "2005-06-09T23:58:02Z")
I’m way too disorganized to keep anything like this, so it doesn’t come up for me. > [@mrunlucky](#): > > The notes would be long rambling missives about boredom during a class, and so on. I’m glad I’m not the only one like this. I read these threads about how future historians will want to read letters written by people now, then think about the notes and, later, emails that my friends and I exchange, and I think I must be really shallow or boring or something. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403/27 "2005-06-10T00:49:17Z")
> [@Anne Neville](#): > > I’m way too disorganized to keep anything like this, so it doesn’t come up for me. > > I’m glad I’m not the only one like this. I read these threads about how future historians will want to read letters written by people now, then think about the notes and, later, emails that my friends and I exchange, and I think I must be really shallow or boring or something. Wrong! It’s nice to have a bunch of exciting stuff about storming the beach at Normandy etc… But it’s the day-to-day stuff that’s most useful to historians. Knowledge about how people actually LIVED is what makes history seem alive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-toss-or-not-to-toss-old-letters-from-ex-girlfriends-hs-college-pals-etc/307403.md?page=1)