Marking a Place
The topic of today's post is Book Marks, or Book Markers, if you prefer. A week ago on the flight back to Minneapolis from Dallas, I sat next to a 60ish dentist, a fellow Old AG ( former students of Texas A&M) from San Antonio. Like most strangers forced to share close quarters, we chatted briefly, then pulled our reading material from our bags, creating an invisible dividing line between us. I wasn't surprised at his choice of book, but I was surprised, even a bit taken aback, by his choice of marker.
When my seat mate opened his book, his marker slipped into the space between us and I handed it back to him. I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Do you always use a laminated obituary as a book mark?" He explained that he'd been carrying this obit of his grandmother for five years. It was a constant reminder of his love for her and how much he missed her. When he looked at the photo nestled in the pages of his book, it brought her back to him with an immediacy that he otherwise wouldn't have felt. The dentist added that he had several laminated obituaries of family members and friends in his collection. I came away from the conversation split between being a bit creeped out and intrigued. I'm a sentimental guy, but this seems .. well .. a bit like overkill. Sentimental escalated to maudlin. What do you think? Would you carry a laminated obituary as a book mark?
Many of my friends on Live Journal are voracious readers. So, I've created the following poll. The topic? How do you mark your place in books or other reading material?
Poll Book Marks
When my seat mate opened his book, his marker slipped into the space between us and I handed it back to him. I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Do you always use a laminated obituary as a book mark?" He explained that he'd been carrying this obit of his grandmother for five years. It was a constant reminder of his love for her and how much he missed her. When he looked at the photo nestled in the pages of his book, it brought her back to him with an immediacy that he otherwise wouldn't have felt. The dentist added that he had several laminated obituaries of family members and friends in his collection. I came away from the conversation split between being a bit creeped out and intrigued. I'm a sentimental guy, but this seems .. well .. a bit like overkill. Sentimental escalated to maudlin. What do you think? Would you carry a laminated obituary as a book mark?
Many of my friends on Live Journal are voracious readers. So, I've created the following poll. The topic? How do you mark your place in books or other reading material?
Poll Book Marks