On a recent shopping trip I picked up a little something for myself that I didn’t know I wanted or needed until I laid my eyes, and then my hands, upon it. It is an address book; a simple everyday item but one that has caused me to reflect on my life and note all the changes I’ve seen since I first became an adult.
Until now, I have only ever had one address book. Oh, throughout the years I have entered telephone numbers and addresses into numerous digital devices, however ultimately each contact that meant anything to me was at some point written into this book in ink.
I can tell you the telephone numbers and addresses of my friends, throughout whatever moves they have made in their lives. “Where did they live in 2005?” I can tell you! “When did they get a cell phone?” I’ve got that information. “Did they get married and change their name?” Why yes, yes they did, and at the same time their address changed too.
By now this old book is so full of bits of my life history, that a perusal of its pages tells me where I’ve been and who I was there with. It also reminds me of people who I once loved who I no longer see, either through circumstance or through death. There is the name of a best friend who suddenly died of an asthma attack and another who passed away as a result of a bee sting. Then there are the expected passings .. beloved grandmothers and terminally ill relatives.
I see where I have worked throughout my entire career, including phone numbers that at one time would have rolled off my tongue, but now are unrecognizable. One particular entry that gives me joy, is that of Nick. I obviously had no idea at the time that I entered his phone number that we would one day be happily married, because I included his last name! But clearly I knew something was up with this guy because beside his name I had drawn a little heart.
Then there are the notes and cards attached to each cover with clips. Our list of wedding guests is there, as is a set of instructions on how to program one of the earliest incarnations of cordless telephone! (That phone is long gone now, but the instructions are pretty interesting.)
All of these reminders are kept, in chronological order, in this old book. Whenever information changed throughout the years, items were scratched out and the new details written in, sometimes requiring arrows to guide me to the most current items.
The time has come for change however and I will transfer all the current information in this book over to the new one. As mentioned, I was not searching for this book when I came upon it, but I quickly knew it was something I wanted. It had been moved by another shopper to the kitchenware section of a store, where I was looking for a new cutting board. Upon spotting it, I immediately picked it up, loving the Andy Warhol graphics on the cover, and the beautiful way in which it was bound with a fabric spine. Opening it, I was instantly attracted to the colourful tabs and the fact that either side of each tab has a different rendition of Warhol’s work, but in an alternate colour scheme. The binder format is perfect for its intended purpose, so I can have extra pages for the popular letters and none where they are not needed.
So with this book I shall begin to write a new history for myself. Which new names will be added to its pages, I wonder. It came with a stack of extra pages, to be filled in with my future.
And while I will begin to use this new book, the old one will be kept for the memories it contains, put away with the yearly diaries I have written in forever.
How about you? Do you have something you use everyday that reminds you of your personal history? Or what about something that is encouraging you to wonder about what is in store for your future?
Thank you for visiting. Hope you’re having a good Thursday. Things are fine here. I had homemade pumpkin pie for breakfast, so things are off to a pretty good start! It was made with the puree that Nick prepared from fresh roasted pumpkins back in the fall, and stored in the freezer. So delicious.
I watched Pride and Prejudice last night, which is of course, based on Jane Austen’s book. And so today I find myself slightly obsessed with the way she worded things and just had to go over this post and rewrite some parts, reminding myself of George Orwell’s 5 Rules for Effective Writing. I’ll save the drama for the writing of fiction!
xo loulou
Address book made by Galison New York. They no longer seem to stock this particular one but if you’re a stationery lover such as myself, I encourage you to take a look at their site. It is filled with the most beautiful paper things.
ps. I had originally spelled stationery with an “a” instead of an “e”, but then remembered the little spelling tip once provided by the lovely Emily at Cupcakes and Cashmere. If you’re talking about paper and “E”nvelopes, remember the “e” in envelopes for the proper spelling of stationery. (As opposed to stationary, which means standing still … this post is so not about standing still!).
