A Commonplace Life

I do not intend the title I have chosen for this project to imply that I consider my life in anyway mundane (although it certainly has it’s moments) or uninteresting. (The extent of any interest by others, however, remains to be seen.) Rather I seek to find the beauty and treasure in the ordinary and common. To record the joy in everyday moments.

The traditon of the Commonplace Book (or Commonplacing) dates back to 15th Century Europe. Printed texts were scarce. Scholars artists and scientists recorded memorable passages they had read into a blank book of pages. The tradition evolved to incorporate medicinal recipies, quotes, letters, proverbs, prayers, weights and measures and more. The resulting commonplace book would have been unique to its creator’s theme and interests.

Often these early scrapbooks were treated by their authors as finished works. They were given elaborate titles and compiled neatly from rough notes and preserved with special care that demonstrated their importance.

True to the orign of the word a commonplace remark or written passage is neither dull nor trite as the usual sense of ‘commonplace’ would suggest, but rather worth remembering or quoting.

Welcome to my commonplace book. Thank you for visiting.