The state of the world – our beloved country in particular – took a bit of the usual sparkly edge off the holidays for many folks in 2025. Between politics, crazy weather, and treasured souls unexpectedly leaving the earth, Christmastime had an accompanying, beneath-the-surface drone of all-not-quite-being-well that felt heavy as the Lowcountry’s summertime humidity. Oh, the days have rolled on by into a brand new year, as they will. But with them seemed to appear an accompanying sigh with each daily news story. I’m far from a newshound but the big stuff has a way of making itself known, and that began to affect my creativity and enthusiasm.
Or it did until early January, when someone asked me if I were following the monks.
“Monks?” I queried. “What monks?”
“You know,” came the reply, “the Buddhist monks who are walking for peace across part of the U.S.”
I had no idea about this journey, Googled “monks walking,” and immediately found walkforpeace.usa. On the off chance that you don’t know, either, here’s the skinny.
On October 26, 2025, 20-plus Buddhist monks from the Huang Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, began a long-distance pilgrimage of approximately 2,300 miles, from Fort Worth to end in Washington D.C. mid-February. Documented widely on social media, their journey is purely to raise awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion in a place (the U.S.A.) and at a time (now) that needs all of those. In December their social media following surpassed a million. The monks are accompanied by a dog named Aloka, meaning “light” in Sanskrit. “Aloka the Peace Dog” has a remarkable following of his own.
Along the monks’s path, thousands of people from all religions and walks of life line the route to cheer them on, offer prayers, and give these remarkable men thanks. Occasionally, the monks stop to offer specific prayer or tie a string bracelet on a child, teen, or adult. Head monk Bhikkhu Pannakara gives arranged talks about peace and its importance in our daily lives.
Once I learned that this “peace train” of Buddhist monks are walking for me and for the whole world, I began following their trek, primarily on Instagram. After a day or so, I noticed my heart felt lighter. Really. Then, as Pannakara suggests, I began starting each day by taking a deep breath, touching my heart, and saying, “Today will be a peaceful day.” And peaceful days have since grown to be my norm. Not every day, of course, but a surprising number. Creativity and enthusiasm have crept back into my life.
I’ve been floored at the positive changes that have come about just since I began following these calm, peace-filled men daily, as they traipse along America’s byways through heat and cold, rain and blazing sun. And at the sheer numbers of my fellow countrymen that come out to wish them well as they pass. The experience gives me hope for the future, my own and that of my country, no matter what the situation may look like right now.
That easy “Today will be a peaceful day” exercise, o gentle readers, is known as a spiritual tool that you and I can use any time for a perk up. And per this column’s title, two more follow.
Like the monks, the next tool comes from a young man whose Instagram account has recently roared past a million followers. A motivational speaker, Instagram star, social media personality, and life coach, Jay Jay Douglas, in my book, is wise beyond his years. I happened upon his intriguing, spot-on tidbits of wisdom on Instagram and immediately followed him, a rarity for me.
Here’s a slice of what to expect from him: “A calm mind is powerful in a world that feeds on chaos because when you learn how to steady yourself, storms don’t get to control you anymore. Life will test you. People will try you. Trust situations will hit you unexpectedly. But the real danger has never been the storm itself. It’s letting the storm itself take over your mind.
“Most people don’t fall apart because life is hard. They fall apart because their emotions start driving the anger. Anger says, ‘React’. Fear says, ‘Panic’…Anxiety says, ‘Imagine everything going wrong.’ And suddenly, everything goes wrong. Not because of what happened but because of how much you reacted to it.
“When something triggers you, breathe deeply, step back and assess the situation. Slow down. Create space, then name your fear without judging yourself. Awareness alone takes half the power away. Next, separate what’s actually happening from the story your mind is telling you. When you learn to master your emotions, you stop being controlled by circumstances and start moving with intention. That’s real strength. That’s how you endure.”
Douglas may or may not resonate for you, but if he does, you now have one heck of a new tool in your belt.
Finally, from English author, artist, and sculptor, Charlie Mackesy, the simplicity of deep wisdom shines in two lovely volumes – The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2019) and Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm (2025). And in 2023 with Matthew Freud, Mackesy created an Academy Award-winning film, also titled The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. All I can say is, “Read them…watch it. You will indeed be wiser!
His first book became the longest-running Sunday Times Hardback of all time.
Anytime your day is iffy, simply consult either book or the movie and watch the sun come out. The only caveat is that you may find it hard to stop.
I’ll leave you with a few gems from Mackesy’s books as examples.
“You know, sometimes your mind plays tricks on you. It can tell you you’re no good. That it’s all hopeless. But I’ve discovered this: You are loved and important and you bring to this world things that no one else can. So hold on.”
And, echoing the message those wonderful walking monks are spreading, is another Mackesy: “Sometimes, all you hear about is the hate, but there is more love in this world that you can possibly imagine.”
What a heart-lifter. Believe it!
