A Book Review for GBE2

Some of you may know that after a 20 year break I started riding a motorcycle again 3 years ago.  Last summer I got a new bike (picture here) and have really enjoyed being back on the road.   For Christmas my hubby gave me a book about woman and motorcycles written by a local author and motorcycle instructor Liz Jansen.

The book, Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment  is a collection of 50 stories of women and their motorcycling experiences interspersed with Liz's personal story of how she transitioned from a corporate career to running a motorcycle touring business.   The overall theme of the book is finding yourself through change and challenge.

As I started the book I found myself thinking that, other than riding a motorcycle, I really didn't have that much in common with these women.  But I kept reading.  I personally know a couple of the featured woman and was looking forward to their stories.   The more stories I read, the more I thought.  And the more I thought the more I realized that I too had overcome several barriers to be out there riding on the road.  Some of these barriers were self-imposed, others had been imposed upon me.  I felt my perceptions continue to shift as I read through chapters like "Dealing with the Unexpected", "Connecting with Spirit" and "Leading with your Heart".  

Eventually I realized the insight Liz and these ladies were sharing wasn't limited to motorcycling.  It could be applied to any type of challenge.   The timing of this book in my life was impeccable.  Some rather unwanted change was occurring and I needed to work through it.   The thoughts, ideas and inspiration I found in those pages really made a difference in how I reacted to that change.  Releasing my resistance and embracing a new direction has resulted in a more grounded, more expansive and more inclusive experience than could ever have been possible before.

I will admit this book is not going to win any literary awards .  But what it lacks in scholarly finesse it more than makes up for with spirit and intuition.

I'd like to share a passage from the book I found particularly inspiring:

"We are riding our own rides.  We've developed and honed our instinctual skills, connected with our wild nature and now embrace it.  We love who we are and embody empowerment and joyful and full living in all aspects of our life.  We are change agents and leaders, often in subtle, unplanned ways and without even being aware of it.  We're closer than ever to who we are.  We know our power is there and how to use it appropriately.  All we have to do is call on it."