Should I reach out to someone from my past after finding old journals?

I was cleaning out the garage and came across some journals from when I was 16 (I’m 39-f). In them, I’d written about a boy I used to chat with online back then (I had just moved away from boarding school). I had totally forgotten about him until I read those pages today.

The entries reminded me how kind he was (he was the “perfect guy” for 16 year old me, and I had the biggest crush). He was always a there (and definitely a flirt) while I was painfully shy. Those conversations made me feel seen and gave me a boost of confidence at a really complicated age when I really needed them.

I’m married and happy now (and after looking him up today, I think he’s married as well) but after my mom passed a few years ago I made a promise to myself to actually say “thank you” to people who made an impact on me, instead of just keeping it in my head. I haven’t talked to him in over 20 years, so I also don’t want to come across weirdly. But I genuinely smiled so much reading those entries and remembering the impact he had on me, and loved remembering those forgotten memories.

So now I’m torn, would it be weird or inappropriate to reach out after 20+ years just to say thanks? I don’t want to cause any trouble or for anyone to misread the message. Or should I just leave it as a nice memory?

He may not even remember who I am, and to be fair, I hadn’t thought about him once in all this time either. But finding those entries brought back such a warm feeling.

Thoughts?

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TL;DR: Found old journal entries about a boy I used to chat with 20+ years ago. He was kind and gave me confidence at a tough age. I’m happily married now but wondering if it’s weird/inappropriate to reach out just to say thanks (haven’t talked to him since) or if I should leave it as a memory.