You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.
~~Eckhart Tolle
I don’t think anyone wants to think about things getting worse before they get better, but that is almost always the case. I’ve said countless times that people don’t change unless they are tired of themselves or their situations and now is no different. In this case, resilience and/or endurance can get the best of us. We put up with a lot—too much—until we just can’t do it anymore. Many horrific events happen so more people can awaken in such a way to realize that we are all in this fight of the human condition together. Do I like what is going on around the world? Absolutely not! Do I think some of it is necessary to change for the highest good? Definitively yes! (Unfortunately.)
When the Venerable Monks who are doing their Walk for Peace started their journey, they had no idea what would happen. They just began walking. A colleague brought them to my attention in early January and I was immediately drawn to follow them and their dog Aloka, (named The Peace Dog for his own special story in how he joined the group on a previous walk in India). The lead monk, Bhikkhu Pannakara, had the idea three years ago and in 2025 knew it was time to approach his own leader who then granted him permission to organize the walk. In his interviews along the way, he has said numerous times that he had no idea how many people would be moved by their actions. He constantly acknowledges the growing crowds, the tearful greetings and the warm welcomes they receive. What he is not talking about are the occasional shouts, signs and comments they see and hear that denounce their beliefs and what they are doing.
Source | Aloka the Peace Dog
This takes grace and understanding to not respond to these gestures. It takes a peaceful heart to observe these negative people instead of reacting to their hateful and unaccepting words.
For those who don’t know, the Walk for Peace didn’t start out as expected. The monks set out on their walk on October 26th from Fort Worth Texas, the home of their Buddhist temple. On November 19th, a tragic accident near Dayton, Texas caused one of the monks to lose his leg. A truck clipped one of the safety vehicles that was protecting the group and the car hit Bhante Dam Phommasan who suffered severe leg injuries that required amputation. The incident was not deemed malicious and the driver stayed on the scene throughout the rescue. The monks, although upset, forgave the driver and continued their walk once they knew their fellow walker was well taken care of at a nearby hospital. The injured monk told them to continue their journey. Many would have stopped their mission at that point, but this group was determined to complete their task regardless of circumstances or conditions, of which they have endured many. As I write this, they are leaving Raleigh, North Carolina to continue their trek north—in the middle of a dangerous ice storm with extremely low temperatures. Their last stop is Washington D.C. where they will hold a final peace assembly before returning to Texas. Many of the monks are from different countries, but all stand united in their mission of promoting peace.
For those who follow social media, you know I volunteered to cook for the monks during the weekend of January 17th/18th, never thinking they would accept because so many people have been reaching out. Much to my surprise, they did accept and I spent the better part of five days shopping, organizing, planning and learning about what would nourish them on their way. Four beautiful souls, friends from many different angles of my life, offered to help. We prepared trays full of nutritious food—vegetables, fruit, breads and high protein items as requested and my best friend and I delivered both breakfast and lunch to them early Sunday the 18th. While they filed in to get their food before the sunrise, we noted their resilience and fortitude, yet their mindful intent in everything they do. About half were barefoot even in the early morning cold temperatures and we marveled at their contentment in every action they displayed. My own feet were incredibly sore by the end of the cooking adventure (cooking and cleanup at my house), but it was nothing compared to the importance of each step the monks made on their peaceful journey. I would do it all again if I knew it would help their mission to instill peace in the lives of others. I’m so grateful to have offered even one small gesture to contribute to their journey. I’m also grateful to my friends for taking part! There was something beautiful about creating food together for the sake of these peacemakers. The interesting thing is that neither my best friend nor I felt we needed to stay to see the monks off on their walk after delivering food, either for breakfast or lunch. We felt our job was done in helping behind the scenes.
I continue to cry every time I see their posts and videos. While I work on living soulfully every day, I admit it is immensely difficult to live a peaceful life in current reality
Just the other day, I had a meeting with two colleagues in the Minneapolis area who see and experience the heinous acts being carried out there every day. Both said the news is only showing a small part of the story. They are healing professionals and each spends their days trying to help others make sense of and cope with the impact of what is going on. We spoke about working with active trauma while going through it ourselves. We talked about self-care and the importance of it for practitioners who vicariously experience it through clients and the world at large. This is certainly a different world than just a couple years ago. The unfortunate thing is that it doesn’t take very long to break down something that has been in place, but it takes a very long time to rebuild something that is stronger. I just hope we learn something to turn all of this into good.
We cannot outrun hatred, but we can find peace within regardless of our circumstances. This is necessary to prevail through times of conflict, discomfort and fear, which seem all too present in current day-to-day life. While I certainly don’t encourage people to ignore what is going on, I do endorse the need to create space for your innermost self to find respite from everyday stress. Finding peace within allows us to respond and not react—to observe, but not become absorbed in whatever is causing distress. Finding moments of inner peace helps us see the big picture, our place in the world and the viable action we could take in order to do our part in connecting with others rather than further distancing from those around us.
Bhikkhu Pannakara has said repeatedly that the world is moving too fast. He teaches mindfulness in every action, loving kindness in every thought, breathing in and out to instill awareness. I agree with all of what he says, but I’m also very aware that most people will go back to what they were doing before they became aware of the Walk for Peace. Few will continue the peaceful journey as they get caught up in their individual human condition. I just hope they take peace further than it was in their lives before. Every peaceful moment and gesture will eventually help to restore this world to Oneness. What is this, though?
As I prepared to publish the second edition of Soul Health: Aligning with Spirit for Radiant Living, an author who endorsed the book asked me “What do you think we are evolving to?” Without hesitation, I answered “Oneness and love.” The world is anything but either of those right now and it won’t be getting better anytime soon. However, I strongly believe that this is a time of transformation which we all know is never comfortable, pretty or appealing.
I’ve told many clients about the monks, Aloka and the Walk for Peace, hoping they, too, will become as enamored as I have. One client mentioned a presentation he had recently heard about peace, noting the speaker asked listeners to take peace with them… out the door, through the hallway, into their offices, out to the parking lot, into their cars, onto the streets, up their driveway, into their homes, and out into the world as they travel anywhere they might go. I ask the same—and a little bit more.
I also ask that you work to bring peace into your soul. Take the time to pause, go within, speak to your innermost self, listen for what it says, then share your peace with others. Over and over and over again.
Observe your experiences rather than react to them. Take a moment to respond in a way that is aligned with your soul, not in opposition to who and what you most want to be. Pay attention to the bigger picture in how disruption might be the path to evolving to Oneness. Acknowledge that learning to love yourself will inevitably create a better world for you and all others with whom you come into contact. If nothing else, learn through the Venerable Monks and Aloka, their faithful companion. We don’t have to live as monks to create peaceful lives. We don’t need to walk 2300 miles to make a point.
Every action we take can be a more peaceful step if we allow it. Every breath we breathe can reset our thoughts, actions, emotions and beliefs to unity and love.
Oneness is possible if each soul on the planet does their part in creating peace, both within and outside of ourselves. Every person on this planet can create their own Walk of Peace in how they live, breathe and respond.
Let THAT be your mission for living a more soulful life in 2026.
This year, I’m focusing on helping you live more soulfully. Finding peace within seems of utmost importance as things unfold this year. Please do what you can to create space for yourselves. This year many things will unfold that will require us to stay aligned with our innermost ally.
If this reads as a plea for soulful peace instead of a simple newsletter, it is. For an explanation of why this is so important to me, take a look at the video connected to this message. It will help you understand my ongoing mission, in this lifetime and all others.
Be well. Be peaceful. Be one with your soul.
Katherine T. Kelly Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
With 35+ years of direct clinical experience, Dr. Kelly doesn’t just believe in helping others to heal; instead, her mission is to help them to evolve. Using her own integrative and trademarked framework—the Soul Health Model—Dr. Kelly approaches her work with clients from a “whole person” or “whole organization” perspective. She provides a uniquely progressive, yet down-to-earth approach and is well-known in therapeutic, medical and corporate communities. She thrives as she helps clients and organizations to reach what she calls “conscious evolution” through a variety of self-designed strategies. Her dedication to healing has been widely recognized as she was the recipient of the Provider of the Year Award by the regional Mental Health Association and was nominated as an Incredible Woman for a local community television network, which spotlights role models to inspire young women to pursue their own passions.