To Fold, Or Not To Fold

I just read this hilariously funny post about messy kids and frog guts. In the story, the mom went to put down the book she was reading and folded the page down to mark her spot. When I had finished reading the post I browsed the comments section, chuckling to myself in amusement. Her kids are really funny. I was a little surprised to find most of the comments were about her folding the page down instead of using a bookmark. People were losing their shit over this book page. 


Now personally, I use bookmarks (read: store receipts). But it got me thinking. I haven't always done that. I used to fold my pages down when I was younger. So what was it that changed the way I do the things? Here is the best answer I can come up with. I now consider the life of an object, when at one time I did not. 


When I was younger, say in my teens and early 20's, things that I owned were mine. They were going to stay mine. I took care of my things because I wanted them to last, but ultimately the buck stopped with me. As I got older and had a family, I changed my way of thinking. Items would live on past the time they spent with me. I donate a ton of stuff every year. I sometimes sell things that we no longer need. I often give a book to a family member or friend. Things are not mine forever. They live on. So I try to preserve their condition for their future owners. 


As I have recently published my own book, I can look at this whole issue through a new lens. If I saw a dog-eared copy of my book at someone's house I wouldn't think they didn't take care of it. It would show me that they read it and marked spots they wanted to return to. It would prove that it was useful to them in some way. Still, old habits are hard to break. And I doubt any of my favorite authors are going to be dropping by my house any time soon. Regardless, fold or don't fold. I don't care which way you lean. Just read the books.





Here's the link to the post about messy kids and frog guts. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=290040289144473&id=100044155133420

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