THE EARLY BIRD...

I enjoyed “Retro Romance Revival” [ELLE Relationship, April 2014]. I always knew I wanted to marry and fully expected to meet my partner in school, where I would be surrounded by educated, ambitious single guys. I met my husband at university when we were both 21, and we were engaged at 25. After 15 years of marriage, I absolutely agree that we grew and “[shaped] each other through those rites of passage.” Several of my girlfriends, all in their early 40s, are smart, successful and attractive but did not prioritize meeting a life partner early and are still single. They are frustrated with the dating scene, and they all say that, at this stage, the pickings seem very slim indeed. SHIRA CHERNS, MISSISSAUGA, ONT.