This is so true, especially in the days before cell phones and digital photography. On those rare occasions when I want to remind myself of what a truly horrible person I was prior to my cancer diagnosis and start reading through my journals, I run across names of men I had dated and were absolutely obsessed with—but for whom I am totally unable to conjure forth a mental image.
And it's not just the dated-but-ultimately-went-nowhere guys in my journals. I had friends in the 70s, 80s, and even 90s—good friends—for whom I have not a single photo. I at least retain somewhat of a memory of their faces and their smiles, but it saddens me I have nothing tangible to refer to. Was it the cost of the film and the developing? Possibly, but I don't honestly know. I have tons of photos of other shit from those years, but for some reason the people closest to me are totally absent.
That is so true. I had a best friend thing going on with one guy for 25 + years. It was a true relationship. We loved each other. We often lived together when it was necessary, and when we were apart we visited. He died in a stupid accident 15 years ago. When it was time to do the Goodbye Ceremony, me and his girlfriend and other friends were collecting photos for that. There was not one photo of me and him together. Although we were such a big part of each others lives and went on many adventures together.