Today I went to the recycle center to put back into circulation all of our used plastics, bottles, cardboard and paper. Since I was 18 years old I have recycled. At one point I lived 30 miles from the nearest recycle center. Over a period of 4 months I saved all the cardboard from the place where I worked and then I took it to the center in my pick up truck. Two trips later I had recycled all four months worth of accumulation from one business. I was very proud of myself for this accomplishment. Today still I recycle, luckily I don’t have to go as far. Just about 10 miles once every 3 or 4 months.

Another aspect of recycling is the paint I use when I am working on my latest creation. I will sit there for another hour just tyring to use up the last little bit of paint until it is all gone. I feel really guilty when I don’t. I also use old plastic cake tops as a palete for my paint. When I was younger I used Le Menu plates. For those of you who dont know about Le Menu I will inform you. They were these handy dandy little plates, about 6 inches in diameter that came inside the frozen entre of your choice. Washable and totally reuseable. I thought it was the coolest thing to get a plate with a frozen meal. Man am I easy to please.

Its hard to believe that when I was working at my first job that we use to burn cardboard and paper every day until it was outlawed in 1988 I believe. I did’nt really know much about recycling at the time but when I look back at those days its hard to believe that it was allowed. Now most of the time people just throw things away. I think I actually put my trash can out by the curb maybe once a month, sometimes even a month and a half.

With all of this said, I hope that someday when I die. I will return to the earth, feeding the tree and recycling myself back into this world. Maybe then I too will be part of my series, “Trees of Life.”