My Peaceful Day: Reflections from Canada on the Walk for Peace

Ellen E. Sutherland
5 days ago
3 min read

From here in Canada, I’ve been watching the Walk for Peace unfold across the United States. The venerable monks have just left the Carolinas—a region I know well from my own travels—and even from a distance, their presence feels like a soft bell ringing across borders. I can’t walk beside them physically, but I follow their journey online, step by step, mile by mile. Somehow, even through a screen, they touch me deeply.

Part of that connection comes from Aloka, the little peace dog who accompanies them. I once had a dog much like him—gentle, soulful, and marked with a heart-shaped birthmark on his side. That small symbol of love made him feel like a blessing in fur. Seeing Aloka trot faithfully beside the monks brings back memories of my own companion and reminds me how animals often embody peace without ever trying.

The monks’ pilgrimage is extraordinary. Nearly twenty Buddhist monks began walking from Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, traveling more than 2,300 miles toward Washington, D.C. Their purpose is simple and profound: to awaken compassion, unity, and mindfulness in every community they pass through. They walk in silence, in chant, in meditation. Some walk barefoot. People who meet them often say the same thing: “They bring peace with them.”

Watching them, I found myself wondering: What does my peaceful day look like? What is the shape of peace in my own life?

I realized that one of the ways I create my peaceful day is by walking along the ocean shores here in Nova Scotia. Slowly. Quietly. Time forgotten. I wander the beaches that locals know well but tourists rarely find—places where like‑minded souls drift in and out like the tide. These beaches are scattered with stones unlike any I’ve seen elsewhere: speckled, striped, smoothed by centuries of waves. Hidden gems waiting in plain sight.

I can walk for hours and it feels like minutes. I stay in the present moment without effort. I scan the horizon, watching the tide breathe in and out. I look up to see an eagle circling overhead. Sometimes I find hoofprints and know horses passed by earlier. Sometimes the delicate imprints of a deer, exploring just moments before me.

This is my peaceful day.

Mindfulness, the monks remind us, is not a rigid practice. It is simply the art of being here—fully, gently, without rushing past the world. Their walk teaches this. My shoreline wanderings teach this. Both are forms of prayer in motion. It is why I chose to pull from these landscapes when I created my tarot deck. The beauty and peacefulness fits in a tarot deck. (If you want more information on the deck, email me at info@jamiepoolebooks.com or visit me on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.)

Inspired by their journey, I put my own experience into music so I can return to that feeling whenever I need it—the sound of waves, the rhythm of footsteps, the quiet joy of finding a stone that feels like it was waiting for me.

In the spirit of mindfulness, and in gratitude for the teachings of the venerable monks on their long Walk for Peace, I offer this reflection. May it remind you, as it reminded me, that peace is not somewhere far away. It is already here, waiting in the next breath, the next step, the next moment of noticing.