Destination Unknown
As a GenX child of the 80s, I spent a lot of my youth writing down lyrics as my favorite songs played on the radio.
I also read the lyrics and liner notes in my LPs, cassette tapes, and CDs, looking for turns of phrase that made my heart leap and sparked some deep inner knowing.
My writer soul was evident early on.
Today, as I sat down to write this note to each of you — a mix of people who are in my life personally and professionally — I wondered what I could possibly say this week that could inspire some peaceful practice or a spark of hope when the news has been so dark and depraved.
I’ve been in thoughtful conversations with leaders in realms both big and small about where we are headed as a country, and as a people.
It is as it always has been — a destination unknown.
Life is so strange when you don’t know. How can you tell where you’re going to? You can’t be sure of any situation. Something could change and then you don’t know.
That Missing Persons song from the 80s keeps playing in my head, reminding me how little we can truly know about where we're headed or what situations might shift beneath our feet.
Though, at times, history does help us see what’s coming. As an American, I’m not surprised by the things we’re observing with ICE or our country’s leadership:
Racism, misogyny, and rape culture, along with unchecked capitalism and elite power structures were baked into this country by our forefathers who enslaved, trafficked, and refused rights to humans who were not white, male, and propertied.
Observing the news has been its own special hellscape as of late. But, there’s something else I am so thankful that I got to observe this week:
Roughly 20 Theravada Buddhist monks walking through Richmond as part of their 2026 Walk for Peace — a 120-day, 2,300-mile pilgrimage from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C.
They're practicing dutanga — extreme austerity — relying entirely on the generosity of strangers for food and shelter.
They carry no money, maintain their "moving monastery" through faith alone, and walk to promote national healing, compassion, and unity. Their mission is non-political and spiritual: to foster the kind of inner peace that creates social harmony.
Their presence was quiet and steady in the midst of the police cars that were helping with navigation and the people who were chasing them down with cameras and offerings.
Surrounded by a world that feels like it keeps spinning faster, the monks have chosen to take their time to walk thousands of miles with intention, to embody the very peace they're calling forth.
Peace is a practice, not a destination.
It's a message I return to often in my work with clients — this idea that we don't wait to arrive at some perfect version of ourselves or some ideal circumstances before we can begin. We practice our way there.
We take the next right step, and then the next one, even when we can't see where the path leads.
I’m ending this email with the same words that I ended my previous one on values:
How we practice is how we change. And, how we change is how the world changes.
Pledging allegiance to humanity,
Michelle
P.S. If you feel called to practice peace and want someone to walk alongside you as a guide and co-creator, I’d love to help.
I took this picture as I waited for the monks to walk by. I liked the sign.
Watch a lovely recap video that I had nothing to do with, here.
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