Back from the Bahamas... what now?

I recently went to the Bahamas to visit some friends my husband has known since college. They have been there for the past 2 years, living on their 45-foot, 4-bedroom catamaran. Before that, they were living out of a van in Latin America for over a year. After this trip, my second time visiting them, I came back a better human. Their life seems simple and complex at the same time. Simple because they have few possessions and live away from most of the commercialism, work schedules, and the "do! do! do!" American culture. Complex because they have to know how to sail and protect themselves from the storms, winds, and hurricanes that determine the flow of their lives.
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I was surrounded by the beauty of nature from sunrise to sunset. I was shocked at how clear the full moon and canopy of stars were. I also have a healthy respect for the huge 5ft sting rays I saw from our hike and the sharks - a bit too close for comfort - cruising by in the beautiful clear blue water. It definitely inspired me to simplify my life here at home. Our friends compost as much as possible, hold on to their recycling until they get to port, and make their own water from the sea with their desalinator. Their electricity comes from the solar panels on their boat and they sail whenever possible to use less gas. They make many of their meals from scratch since provisions can be limited. We made homemade tortillas 2 nights in a row and didn't even go to any restaurants.

On this years' trip, I started paying attention to what materials come with the food and products I buy. Even the little tea bags I thought were 100% compostable were really only 90% compostable (meaning the other 10% was made from nylon and plastic). I was heart broken to see the beauty disrupted by all the garbage, plastic, and other abandoned items washed up on the shores of the smaller islands we visited along the way. It takes strength to acknowledge how we contribute to all of it. It gave me hope every time I picked up a piece of plastic, knowing that it would have otherwise disrupted the wildlife. Even small gestures like these add up, and I took what I learned home, knowing it will ripple forward to make a greater impact.