Revolution Enters at the Edges – Ride for PTSD Recovery 2021
The edge can be a very interesting place to be. It can be lonely and painful and sometimes dangerous. But it’s also a place where something is in the process of turning into something.
Revolution enters at the edges.
We’ve spent part if not all of our lives trying to amputate those parts of ourselves that did not fit.
We’ve tried to be pleasing, we’ve tried to do what’s expected and we suck at it.
We eventually reach a point where we realize that we are so depressed or stuck or numbed out that the only way to save ourselves is to figure out how to be ourselves on purpose.
Before we call people visionaries, before they have that kind of success we have other words for them like geeks, socially awkward, outsiders, weird, a little different or crazy.
These past years there has been many great and honourable people who have said, “you can’t do that, quit trying to save the world, don’t say that, don’t wear that, don’t post that, don’t talk like that, quit pissing people off, you owe me, set your ego aside, you need to listen and quit talking so much”.
Well, that’s just what outsiders do.
They don’t change the world from within by fitting in or conforming.
They change the world by creating a new one.
Hello my dear friends, please allow me to first say a very special thank you to each and every one of you who showed up, and most importantly a massive Thank you and much respect given to our volunteers at all 3 of our locations today.
If I even attempted to try and share with you right now how this entire day panned out you would most certainly know for sure that i’m not really of this earth and you’d more than likely have me committed, so I will spare you the mathematical logistics and keep it as simple as possible for it still won’t be fathomable to understand this process until the next century.
Believe me when I say, we will all meet on the battlefield again one day, depending on how we respect and honour other human beings.
These words are not my own, for they have been scripted in stones for thousands of years.
I have methodically gone though these photos thanks to my Brother Joern Rohde who has graciously volunteered his time and has captured many historical moments since we began Breaking the Chains of PTSD back in 2016. Thank you Brother.
For me personally, the most challenging part of our Ride to Recovery is right now.
As I sit here and try to share with you the emotional & spiritual impact our energy has had with “the people”, in attendance through this device, I just don’t feel human nor have a way to effectively communicate with other humans just how much this not only means to me personally, but how it’s evident that if a nobody like me can pull this off, then ANYBODY can.
The easy part, was just 4 weeks ago when I came up with a brilliant idea with one of our campers as to how we could show our gratitude for their generous donation to help our camper out of a tough situation to afford him the opportunity to attend our camp back in late June.
Most people maybe unaware of this, but sadly Camp My Way has to deny 99% of the people who reach out for help. We are not funded by any government agencies, insurance companies, nor did Camp My Way get any sort of bail out funds or serb cheques this past 2 years.
We relied on a Go Fund Me that only raised 60% of the funds needed just to cover costs for that camp alone.
However, The Rolling Barrage came through last minute when president Brett Gale emailed me and said, we’d like donate 2 k to go towards one of your campers to attend that camp. Huge save of the day.
We had made plans for the rolling barrage to come and meet us at Camp My Way basecamp but due to the wildfires here in BC, all roads in and out were closed, on fire or to dangerous to get to us. Even out own town was under evacuation alert.
During the camp, I learned that our camper owns a harley and likes to ride so there hatched the plan that I would take my 3 days off per year, and we would ride out to meet the barrage in Kelowna to not only thank the riders for riding across Canada to raise the much needed funds for our camp, but our Camper was going to thank them in person and share with them how his experience has helped him.
I thought it would be pretty selfish of me to take those 3 days off , God has not given my life back for me to enjoy for myself, but rather to give to others selflessly.
So I sent a few emails ( on worse than dial up internet ) to our family of warriors and within 24 hrs, we had all the ingredients we needed to make this ride to recovery possible.
Then boom , I get hit with about 13 different punches to the side of the head, knives in my back, disrespected beyond words, and to ice the cake, having to say no to 7 first responders that month who had reached out for help.
Nothing pains me or hurts more or can be anymore shameful than having to tell a man or his spouce who has spent their entire career risking their lives to protect and serve our country and keep our communities safe that we are unable to help them in return for their service.
Re read that again and actually “think” about that for a minute. ( deep sigh )
Hence why it is so vital for all of us to at least do our best to raise awareness, educate, inspire and motivate “the people”, to help prevent the suffering one human, one department, one community, one nation at a time.
As much as I appreciate the ability to use social media platforms to get our message and all that we are trying to do out to the people, nothing is more impactful than one on one, human to human interactions.
So, just as we are about to plan our route, I gets a call from a friend of one of our campers asking for help.
Sadly, I felt I was disrespecting the man while we spoke on a video call, the tone in his voice, not many words needed it was clear he most certainly needed to come to our camp like, the next day.
But who’s going to keep covering the costs to run this camp, feed our campers and and and especially when the world has been locked down for nearly 2 years and not being able to host any events what so ever.
Nothing pained me more than to say, listen brother, what kind of skin can you put in the game ? He, like millions of others in our world today is as equally as drained as the next family.
Within 24 hrs, we came to an agreement that he would cover 50% and our team would do our best to raise the rest after he attends our camp.
I am unsure if you know how to throw 13 hail Mary’s at once or the stress levels that come with rolling the dice on this kind of situation, but as I always say, believe in the process not the product, trust in your animal instincts, your heart and your mission, believe in your self, your purpose, apply your passion, truth and faith and everything will be ok = success regardless of financial failure.
One of those hail Mary’s went to my Brother Stacy Wilson, Executive Director of the Together We Can Addiction Recovery & Education Society. I’ll speak further as to how vital this call for help was to this entire process in the next blog post cause this post is merely only the tip beginning of the ride and a new program we launched behind the scenes, not worry will fill you in next blog post.
3 weeks later, our paddles were in the water.
To be fully off grid for 1 full week before this sort of event, I must say makes me very happy, free in the mind and a true feeling of success to have been able to trust in our team and all of the hard work we put in to make this happen they way it all rolled out with only 3 weeks till game time.
I actually hadn’t slept any better in a very long time. Ya know that feeling when when one door closes and another opens, well , try 13 doors being slammed shut, and 20 doors opening at the very same time. Its quite a pleasant experience so if you should ever find yourself in a tough position in life, just know that just how it’s all been scripted and it wont be long before the sun rises again and everything will be ok.
It’s all about balance and what actions we are taking each and every single day to help make someone else’s life better.
The math is really that simple.
As far as any photo’s or videos from that Camp, our campers expressed how nice it was to not always having to be careful about the camera capturing there every move. How nice it was to sit and talk about the real deal, the real pain and underlying issues with solutions.
For me personally, nothing on this earth makes me happier and feel more free than to be as far far away from these devices as possible. My instincts understand its power to control human behaviours.
Photo’s and videos will no longer be a part of our camp’s. It”s just not a part of our formula or healing journey. Its just not natural and neither is me sitting here bashing away on this keyboard right now at 4:12AM.
At the end of the day, keep in mind as you read this that I’m really not saying anything as these are merely just my thoughts and what your doing is thinking about what i’m thinking.
Brilliant, the human how we have evolved to the point where I can sit here and think, write and have another human on the other side of the world take into consideration and judge my frame of view through the blinded lens of thought.
That my friends is extremely powerful in itself. Think about where we will be in say just 10 more centuries from now, or perhaps are we actually there now, have we go back in time to change things, make them better, is there a plan, are we in control ?
Let us take actions, cause all this talk is non sense for I am confident you have arrived here and have read this far to see first hand what we have been able to actually achieve in this dimension.
Is there a message here in this writing, from within these photos, look deep into the eyes of the people, put yourself with us, and embrace the reality of our positive thinking thought the actions we are taking.
One day, we will look back, and understand further for our minds have not even begun to develop intelligently enough to comprehend the scale at which we are capable of obtaining though a much higher level of consciousness than any of us are able to fathom. ( yet )
6:35AM, My brother, and biggest inspiration Josh Vander Vies showed up with his son. I will share our story next blog post.
6:40 AM Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton showed up to Jack Poole Plaza Olympic Cauldrons to pay his respect to the memory of Nodar Kumaritashvili and shake hands with the Georgian Diaspora community.
6:45AM Vancouver Police Department showed up with bad news, the member of VPD who was to meet us that morning had got T-Boned in a police chase and was hospitalized the night before. From his hospital bed his alarm went off to remind him of our event, and his word that he’d show up so he called in the boys to show up on his behalf. Solid Respect Chris.
6:48 AM, my brother Monte Fash, Founder and President of Bikers Helping Kids had rode 1800kms to be with us for this very important day.
6:50AM , Bikers just started showing up one after another, you could hear the thunder echoing though the city scrapers, I can still feel the energy as we think.
7 Am, The Love Medicine Singers
7:15, 5 seconds breath in, 5 seconds breath out – 5 times. A human experience.
7:18, Moment of Silence for Nodar Kumaritashvili.
7:20, Exercise time,
5 right jabs, chanting “Its- not – weak – to – speak” x 5
5 left jabs, chanting “Its- not – weak – to – speak” x 5
5 sets sit ups , Its- not – weak – to – speak” x 5
Well, that’s a nice way to start the day, 1/2 hr in .. only 15 more hours to go.
Mount up and Let’s Ride to Recovery through Stanley Park with VPD escort over the Lions Gate Bridge to the Together We Can Addiction Recovery & Education centre. We have a a few new friends to meet.
Keep smiling, stay connected to all good things and forgive everything.
Your Friend, Our Voice
Terrance Joseph Kosikar
Farmer, Founder.