And you may have heard that a group of monks has been walking for many months now, peaceful step by peaceful step, for 2,300 miles. On Wednesday, February 11th, they reached their destination: the Lincoln Memorial, in my hometown of Washington, D.C. Their date of arrival happened to coincide with my college buddy Hakeem's birthday (Happy birthday, Hak!) What were his birthday wishes? To travel to DC to break bread with family and friends over phenomenal Caribbean food, but first and foremost to be in the presence of the Walk for Peace monks at the Lincoln Memorial. 

 

The Lincoln Memorial, where MLK, Jr., dear friend of the Vietnamese monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, shared a dream for the future of humanity in his 1963 “I have a dream” speech, and where, 63 years later, a group of monks, including immigrants from Vietnam, uplifted that dream using their own methods and practices.

 

Though I was thankful to be able to make it to Hakeem's dinner, which included a few minutes of meditation before the plantains arrived, my attempt to see the monks was thwarted by love-of-monks-induced traffic! So instead, I cried my way through a YouTube video of the monks offering the Metta Sutta, the ancient Discourse on Lovingkindness. Under the video, a Walk for Peace fan had commented on why such a diversity of humanity has been following the monks' journey: “We’re moved so deeply by the monks' presence because it awakens something we’ve forgotten but never lost. Their peace reflects our own deepest nature, and when we see it embodied so purely, the heart recognizes itself. It’s remembrance...”

 

 

 

It's called a practice for a reason, the practice of metta, or chesed, or wud, or lovingkindness, depending on tradition, the practice of the heart remembering itself and its extraordinary capacity to care. What's inherent in this practice is not, “I can control everything that happens,” and it isn't “Everything will be ok,” but instead, “I want to live with a heart that wishes other people well as they navigate life, and, when I have the capacity to take steps that support them in experiencing greater ease, well-being, and safety, I will.”

 

Does a practice like this one encourage us to overlook harm? Far from it. But it does mean intentionally choosing the energies we root ourselves in, cultivate, and act from.

 

~ opportunities to learn, reflect, connect, and cultivate, including Through the Threshold: Meditation & Writing for Life Transitions which starts next week, the Sit to Connect drop-in group, an upcoming in-person retreat, and coaching openings

~ closing wisdom from Dr. Sayra Pinto on how to orient to this time in world history

The monks' clarity, coherence, and steadiness—and all that their presence, practice, and persistence have inspired—aligns with a potent wisdom-filled letter from Dr. Sayra Pinto about how to navigate this era in the U.S. and beyond. 

 

Here's an excerpt that I keep returning to:

 

Sustaining ourselves under these conditions...requires coherence—the capacity to remain oriented to what is happening—and continuity—the ability to carry meaning, relationship, and responsibility across time without fragmenting or hardening. 

 

 

~ Attend to pace. Low-intensity warfare erodes people by keeping them slightly overwhelmed at all times. Protecting coherence often means choosing a slower pace than what is being demanded, even when that feels countercultural. 

 

~ Differentiate responsibility from exposure. Being aware of what is happening does not mean you are responsible for all of it. Coherence strengthens when you are clear about what is yours to carry—and what is not.

 

~ Maintain relationship with meaning. When events accelerate, meaning is often the first thing to thin. Staying in relationship with what matters—through reflection, conversation, or creative practice—is stabilizing rather than indulgent.

 

~ Make room for delight. Delight is not an escape from these conditions; it is a practice that sustains life within them. Experiencing beauty, pleasure, laughter, or tenderness restores capacity, interrupts extraction, and reminds us that we are more than what is being demanded of us. 

 

None of this resolves the conditions we are in. But it can reduce their impact, prevent collapse or numbness, and make it possible to remain engaged over the long arc rather than burning out or disappearing. 

 

[You can read Dr. Pinto's full piece here.]

PS: As always, questions, reflections, or ideas for potential collaboration (in person or via Zoom!) are warmly welcome. Just reply to this email or email me at alison@twowingsmindfulness.com.

 

PPS: If you think a friend, family member, or colleague would be interested in one of these offerings, please forward this note along! They can also join the Two Wings mailing list here.