Whatever your religion, your philosophy or spirituality, my wish for us all is to take a few minutes of silence alone, without distractions, to connect with our breath for a little while, realizing that this breath is the air we all share, humans, animals, all living things on this earth. We bring it in as an inhalation and send it out with our exhalation.

I also wish that all of us that are privileged and not living in a war zone, in a refugee camp, a homeless shelter, on the streets, in a prison or detention center or in a tent or makeshift shelter will take a moment to review how many machines and tools we have that spew toxic or noxious fumes into the air we all breathe and that generate noise to pollute the air that carries sound waves to our ears.

I invite us all to consider recycling those machines and tools to replace them with hand tools which are relatively inexpensive, generate no fumes or noise to pollute our air, take up much less space, are lighter weight and allow us to more closely connect with our work and enjoy a sense of satisfaction as crafters of our work.

If you would like suggestions on hand tools to consider, please visit www.terrytucker.net where on the homepage, you can download and print “Practical Ways to Live Mindfully on Mother Earth.”