The watch was just a watch. I'm fine without it. Taken literally, that isn't true. Material possessions come to us on loan. So do the people we love.
Losses come in different sizes, and some take a lot of getting used to.
What occurs to me, though, is that lovely Hawaiian night in the coconut grove is something I will never lose. Travel is a weaver of memories, to tuck away in our minds and take out whenever we need a glimpse of something special that will always be returned to us. Anne Chalfant is the Times travel editor.