Two months after our 1 year “busiversary” and 9 months deep as “Full Timers” (an insider term for people who live full-time in their RV, trailer, bus conversion, gypsy wagon, etc. The transition process has been many things from liberating, to grueling, passing along the way stressful, confusing, overwhelming, elating, rewarding, educating… At the end of the day I am overwhelmingly proud of Sean and I and what Glorya Marie has become — not only for our personal home but also as a statement, a piece of activism and experimental life art created in the consciousness of Seismic Awakening.

Glorya Marie Catching The Afternoon Sun

Minimalism. Could someone be happier with less? Could WE be happier with less? Sean and I felt the answer was yes, and more importantly, we felt that by leaving a smaller environmental impact, we could lead by example and “sleep better at night”. This was a driving ideal behind building Glorya Marie, a 1977 Crown School Bus into a 210 square foot sustainable micro-flat. We declared independence from “Stuff” upon moving aboard Glorya and have been since distilling our personal belongings, our work tools, and our wardrobes to take up less space in our home and in our lives. To date, we still have two modest sized storage units, soon to be condensed to one and our bus is still commonly plagued by clutter – it is not as fast a process as I anticipated nor did I believe we had collected as many material possessions as it now appears. Friends and family have joined in our amazement that after numerous yard and moving sales, no matter how much stuff seems to go, there is always more.

A good portion of our on-bus storage is still to come, so not everything in our storage unit is destined for the swap-meet or the thrift store, but I don’t intend to weigh down the bus to capacity either. Our adoption of a minimalist life style could sound masochistic to some, but the reasons and benefits I find are many.

Owning less helps prioritize and focus. Supplies and tools for hobbies like knitting are no longer taking up space, giving me more space and time to organize my jewelry making business, something I am truly passionate about.

Our Laptops combined with the portable jbl Charge have become our New Age Micro Entertainment Center when it comes to watching Movies or Shows.

Minimalism leads to smarter purchasing. When you have a limited amount of space, every new item brought into the home becomes a little “heavier”. More deliberation goes into how often, and how many different ways, I am likely to use something. Lacking in great sentimental value, not much makes it on the bus unless it has a very important job or it can be used in multiple ways. This has made itself extremely evident in Glorya’s kitchen and medicine cabinet.

Less can be more. In making my purchasing decisions these days, I not only deliberate wether I need the item or not, I find the brand or make that will last the longest, and perform the best. This often means putting out a bit more money up front, but less repairs and replacements down the line. I prefer saving for a few nice things that I will use all the time as opposed to spending money or resources impulsively on higher volume of stuff that can break or wear out easily and not get nearly as much use.

Robyn and Sean’s Audio/Video Production Desk across from the compact kitchen  and adjacent to the living room – On board Glorya Marie

In SeismicAwakening.com’s new blog series, we will continue to explore and expand on the fundamentals of minimalism and sustainability while I share products, tips, and tricks that we have learned to enhance our everyday life, and make our living space more eco-friendly. I am excited to share with you amazing, cost-effective, non-toxic cleaning agents that will pull MORE than double duty in your kitchen, bathroom, and even your body. I will show you how we have minimalized, upcycled, reused, and reorganized to better our lives and set an example in caring for planet Earth.

Even our two dogs have made sacrifices to streamline and upgrade their wardrobe. Boltt in action models his new all- weather jacket. Spending the extra money on a water proof and thermal-adaptive jacket makes this the only piece of clothing the dogs need.

The View from the Entry Way into Glorya Marie