What My Bookmarks Tell About My Life
Stories of places, people and time
They look bruised and used, but they are loved.
Many of them have been accompanying me for years, decades even.
They make me smile every time I take them out.
I love the feel of the thick paper. High-gloss, smooth texture on the print’s front, a slightly rougher, grounded feel on the back. Feeling both textures at the same time feels like life itself. The shiny, beautiful, perfect side that we show the world, the grey-white, rougher side on the back, behind the facade. This is where our life really happens, the blank canvas we can fill as we choose.
Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I still prefer physical books. In January I wrote:
“Nothing beats a ‘real’ book for me. I love that so many senses are involved: how it feels in my hand, the weight, the smell, the possibility to quickly flick back or forth through a book, putting an actual bookmark in and see how much I still have left to enjoy (as opposed to a cold percentage displayed on the screen). When I close it and leave it on the table, I’m constantly reminded of the world that awaits me because it’s present all the time, it’s part of my life, and I love it that way.”
No wonder that bookmarks for me still mean, well, actual pieces of thin cardboard or thick paper, not just a click on a website to save it for later reading. (Does anyone else remember that?)
I use postcards as bookmarks, always have. I just love the size.
With the ones shown above, the pictures or the words - or both - spoke to me.
They still have meaning.
They remind me.
Of places or things that I love. Of people. Of times in my life that I want to remember.
They ground me, and they make me happy.
The cat on the fence post is the one that I have the longest. I got it when I trained as a bookseller in the mid-nineties. Originally, it was an entire book with postcards with cats (my favourite animals). I’ve sent and gave away every single one, but kept this postcard for myself. I love the evening atmosphere, the blue hour. The beautiful cat on its outlook, sitting watch over the farm. The big, old thatched house speaks of Schleswig-Holstein, Northern Germany where I’ve lived for the most part of my life and where my ancestors come from.
The Strictly British one with the tea bag and the Union Jack attached to it was a promotional postcard for an Afternoon Tea Reading of Oscar Wilde’s Short Stories (it says on the back) in February 2007 in Hamburg. A friend of mine gave it to me, as I have been known as an Anglophile for decades. (She was too.) The postcard hung on my pinboard for years (that’s why it’s a bit faded), then I started using it as one of my favourite bookmarks. It always makes me smile. Memories of my best friend of many years come to life. When we discovered Monty Pythons’s Flying Circus in the early nineties and laughed our heads off. (“What’s on the television then?” - “Looks like a penguin.”) It made as giggle and giggle again - and for ages. We knew many sketches by heart, like the penguin on the television and of course the sketch with the dead parrot. For me, there's nothing better than that one! We were in tears laughing! We watched The Muppet Christmas Carol on the very first day at the cinema, and we've loved it for years. It’s the only film I actually bought twice - on VHS tape (anyone remember analogue video on tape??) back in the days and again on DVD. I remember reading the final Harry Potter book aloud with her, starting early in the morning on the day it came out. She read all the characters in different voices, I read the narration and the descriptions. It took us three days, lots of tea and water - and we almost forgot to eat. Happy days!
There have to be postcards of Denmark, of course. Beach grass in the foreground, a house in the background, blurred, but it reminds me of Skagen where houses are traditionally plastered in ochre-yellow with red tiled roofs that are painted white on the edges. I have a special fondness for Skagen. Oh, and it’s the lovely evening atmosphere again, when the world goes quiet and everything calms down. A beloved time of day for me!
I’ve also been to Lønstrup in Denmark quite a lot. It has been my husband’s and my favourite place to go on holiday for many years. The postcard reminds me of quiet days by the sea, being away from the busyness of the world for a week or two. Recharging my energy, just being together, bliss.
I used to love the sea, it was my favourite place in nature for a long time. The postcard of the North Sea with the seagulls is therefore no surprise. But it now holds a special meaning for me. It’s a promotional postcard from Lemvig, Denmark, where my husband and I once went on holiday with his mother. Sadly, she has since passed away, so every time I pick up this bookmark, I'm reminded of her and our holiday together.
The one with the yellow gerbera reads: “Wer sich nicht verändert, hat nicht gelebt.” which can be translated as: “Those who do not change have not lived.” I got that postcard twenty years ago and it has reminded me ever since to embrace change, to be open to new ideas and to be curious about my own path. It also helped me to distance myself from people who preferred to stand still and couldn't deal with the fact that I had developed further.
The newest addition to my bookmark favourites is another one with a quote on it. The postcard with the rainbow says: “Wenn du auf ein Zeichen wartest, das dir sagt: ‘Alles wird gut!’ Hier ist es.” It translates as: “If you are waiting for a sign that tells you: ‘Everything will be fine!’ This is it.” I so needed this kind of gentle affirmation during my year of recovery from burnout / nervous breakdown / complete exhaustion. It helped me stay calm and patient. It helped me focus on better times to come.
It’s remarkable what a simple postcard, a simple bookmark can do, isn’t it?
What do you use as bookmarks? Do they have a special meaning to you, too?
Claudia, I loved this! The way you’ve shared the stories behind your bookmarks is so grounding. I can relate to your love of postcards—I used to collect them (along with stamps!) when I was younger and have always used them as bookmarks. They feel personal, each holding its own story. My favourite one has a rainbow on it, just like your new one, and it reminds me that after the storm, hope is always on the horizon 🌈
Oh, what a lovely read! I use postcards, (vintage) playing cards, 'official' bookmarks I got when I bought a book and sometimes a reciept when I can't find any (but I replace the last one as quickly as possible 😄)