Travel Tuesday: Ride of Your Life

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I received a free electronic copy of this book for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Futility.

Responsibility.

That sense of something missing.

Many of us have at one time or another felt this combination of feelings, and it tends to sap us.

Author Ran Zilca was no stranger to these feelings, so he decided to confront them, investigate their root for himself and others, and embarked on a journey not only physically but emotionally as well.

Seeking out leading experts in psychology and behavior along the way, Zilca travels across the country by motorcycle in an effort to fulfill a lifelong dream and try to learn how to use his experience to not only to help himself in the future, but others as well.

Along his ride, he is met with challenges both big and small, physical as well as mental and emotional, but finds some unforgettable people, places, and purpose along the way as well. Not surprising that he learns first hand that a journey is as much if not more about who we become along the way, especially when it might be the first time that we are truly meeting one's self. It's about embracing the present moments and connecting to them wholly. It's about finding those things that we never get tired of, the smell of rain, wind on our skin, the voice of our child expressing their love or pride for us, and remembering to notice them day to day, not just when we are four states from home. 

His descriptions of his travels and thoughts are full of detail that make it easy to imagine yourself a silent passenger. They seemed to me especially relatable as I have traveled a few of the same routes, actual pavement but more significantly, the byways of one's mind.  

Swift moving, introspective, and bright. This book played heavily on my already homesick feelings for mountain air and blazing sunsets over craggy outcroppings, and seriously stoked my desire to head out on the open road myself. Nay though, my own road trip will have to wait a while. My internal journey however is well under way, and the many insights in this book served as good fuel. Some I found I was already practicing, others were an entirely new perspective for me to consider, and a few I have set goals to personally implement more fully.

My one criticism, the perspective is substantially middle-class and remains there. This in itself is not necessarily a negative. However, those for whom life, either by consequence or circumstance, has not been particularly kind may have a harder time finding the means to their personal journeys. I would have liked to see more on how those whose daily struggles often consume the vast amount of their daily energy and resources can still find similar fulfillment.  

Rating: GA (General Adult Readers)

AWBB Points: ! ! ! ! 4/5  

Author Ran Zilca and his Motorcycle 

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