Lisa Molluso, LCSW

01/21/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CsyXkxraF/

Walking for Peace isn’t always peaceful.
And that’s exactly the point.

The monks know what awaits them.
Cold mornings.
Biting wind.
Endless rain.
Sore feet.
Uncertainty.
Sometimes even hostility.
One monk lost a leg in the journey.
Another moves forward supported by sticks in both hands.

And still… they walk.

Not because it is easy.
Not because it is safe.
But because peace has never been born from comfort.

They willingly sacrifice warmth, rest, and convenience to raise awareness of something the world desperately needs—peace, loving-kindness, and compassion. Mile after mile, town after town, they carry no banners, no demands, no anger. Only bowls, robes, discipline, and intention.

They are not walking 2,300 miles for the sake of the distance.
They are walking to embody peace.

This journey is not a protest.
It is a practice.

Through discipline and sacrifice, they cultivate peace within themselves first—then invite the rest of us to remember it within ourselves. Their tired bodies teach what words cannot: that peace is not passive, not fragile, and not comfortable. Peace is something you practice—especially when it’s hard.

As they move through cold, wind, and physical hardship, they show us a quiet truth:
If peace only exists when life is easy, it was never peace at all.

Alongside them walks Aloka, the Peace Dog 🐾
No speeches.
No ideology.
No judgment.

Just presence.

Aloka doesn’t carry a message—he is the message. A rescued dog walking calmly beside monks, reminding us that peace doesn’t need to explain itself. It simply shows up, stays gentle, and keeps moving forward.

When they stop in towns and communities, they don’t argue or persuade. They listen. They smile. They share stillness. And somehow, that calm travels faster than noise ever could.

They walk through division not to exploit it—but to heal it.
They draw attention to unrest not with outrage—but with presence.

That’s why people stop.
That’s why people listen.
That’s why hearts soften.

Because in a world addicted to shouting, these monks—and one quiet dog—choose silence, discipline, and compassion.

And in doing so, they remind us of something profound:

Peace does not begin in governments or borders.
It begins in the body.
In the breath.
In the step.

One step at a time.
Together.

01/15/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17xQpZZwdc/?mibextid=wwXIfr

✍️ Finding Peace in What We Cannot Control - Everything in life unfolds in ways we cannot predict. We wake each morning not knowing what the day will bring, what emotions will surface, or what circumstances will shift without warning.

Even our own happiness can feel elusive—arriving and vanishing like weather we cannot command. Our emotions rise and fall like tides, often defying our wish to feel differently than we do. If guiding our own hearts feels this difficult, how much more futile is it to try to control others? To demand they think or feel exactly as we wish?

The truth is both humbling and freeing: everything happens in its own way, following rhythms we did not write.

But here is what we can do: We can be at peace when things happen. We can meet whatever arises—joy or sorrow, gain or loss—with a steady mind and an open heart.

• If something can be changed: We do not need to worry—we simply take action with clear intention.

• If something cannot be changed: We also do not need to worry—we accept what is and save our energy for what we can actually influence.

This doesn't mean we stop caring. It means we stop adding unnecessary suffering to our lives. We stop exhausting ourselves trying to control the uncontrollable and focus on the one thing we can genuinely influence: our own response.

We do this through mindfulness. By returning to our breath, we anchor ourselves in the present. We notice when we are reacting unconsciously and choose to respond with understanding instead.

This is how we bring peace back to our inner landscape. We cannot control the storms that come, but we can learn to remain peaceful within them. We cannot dictate how others behave, but we can always choose how we respond.

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace. 🙏

01/14/2026

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

That line comes from Samuel Beckett, one of Ireland’s most influential writers and a Nobel Prize winner in Literature.

Born in Dublin, Beckett was known for his stark, minimalist style and his unflinching exploration of failure, persistence, and the human condition. His work challenged traditional storytelling and reshaped modern theatre and literature, most famously through plays like Waiting for Godot.

This quote captures Beckett’s philosophy perfectly not as optimism, but as resilience. Progress isn’t about avoiding failure; it’s about continuing despite it.