My journey and sometimes adventure towards conscious living and conscious consuming began about two years ago. What inspired it? Well I could say that I have always loved animals and nature, but really it was all because of a turtle. I was on my first sessions of really snorkeling in Maui when I encountered so many of these gentle giants in the reef. 

There was one special turtle that was resting on the sandy bottom about 20 feet below me and I could swear it looked straight at me with intention. With what intention I will never know. We locked eyes and it began to swim straight up towards me. I was in absolute awe of this beautiful giant turtle coming my way. It so effortlessly and calmly swam through the water with the light playing off its shell. It was truly beautiful to behold. 

My awe was broken as I realized it was coming straight to me and would likely bump right into me if I didn’t get out of the way very quickly. Turtles are protected and you are to give them their space; so I frantically paddled myself out of the way as it broke the surface. 

The turtle took some deep breaths of ocean air looking at me with wise eyes only a couple feet away as though it was acknowledging me and then dipped back below the surface swimming away into the blue abyss of the sea. It was a magic moment. 

I felt like I had been blessed or at least given an experience that would always be with me for the rest of my life. It wouldn’t be the last turtle I would see or swim with and even inspired me to become a scuba diver the following year, but that turtle set me on a journey that has changed and is continuing to change my life in the best ways possible. 

What follows is my discoveries, ponderings and research on a variety of topics, items, and more!