Love, Laughs & Road Rage Published in: Media By Rae S. McKenzieRaeMcKenzie.comPublisher: Printorium BookworksISBN: 978-0-9950814-0-6 Paperback: $17.00 Violence breeds many forms of ugliness, and its victims are often less than obvious. Case in point, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition that some develop after experiencing or witnessing life-threatening events, with varying traumatic symptoms that range from flashbacks and guilt to emotional detachment and hostility toward others. Love, Laughs & Road Rage is an introspective work about a couple whose marriage had all but crumbled due to PTSD. In a last ditch effort to save it, Rae and her husband Ray sold everything, quit their jobs and left for a multi-month motorcycling journey around the U.S. and Canada to heal. It was do or die in the process. For the McKenzies, their road trip was intended to be a form of therapy. Ray, who had spent a lifetime in the military and many subsequent years as a police officer, suffered and often acted out unknowingly from PTSD. For Rae it was an unhealthy existence being around her husband; if it wasn’t for their love, she wouldn’t have cared or tried. In the foreword, Ray wrote: “Those who serve are special, dealing with things one should never see, things that are not in any recruiting brochure, things that only those who serve would understand completely. Standing with every one of those who have served are family and friends who are deeply affected by residual negative overflow from the job.” Perhaps taking to the road was an unusual route to healing. But it did free Ray from much of the usual stimuli that drove his condition. And it gave Rae the chance to focus without distraction on her husband’s recovery. Her story details the many ups and downs they experienced, all set against the backdrop of their ride around the U.S. and Canada. That said, Rae’s book is also a travelogue, written from the perspective of a couple who love adventure biking and the spirit behind it. Although many of their stops were somewhat touristy, it was their interactions with others they met along the way that I enjoyed, especially their chance and humorous meeting with actor James Woods. This is not a typical book about adventure riding. Is it for everyone? I don’t believe so; rather, it’s for those in similar situations, who want to better understand the PTSD condition, or are curious about the unusual idea of how motorcycling can be used to improve broken relationships—it’s an inspiring read. http://ift.tt/2kdPBjF
from Totally Motorbikes http://ift.tt/2kdPBjF
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