Rocket was unexpectedly alert this morning, and he raised a hand at Miles to make a statement at the Morning Meeting.

“The Buddhist monks are doing a Fifteen Minute County demonstration today. It took a while. They started walking northeast from Fort Worth, Texas, 108 days ago. The national media has been distracted by kidnappings, Mid-East wars, and the mid-term elections, so they are only now being recognized for their remarkable achievement.”

Socotra House got caught up in the monastic spirit of things since they were up early yesterday. Sleeping through the Super Bowl halftime had caused a certain dispirit. We watched the tape of Bad Bunny walking through the midfield displays and did not see much of the rumored hostility the Puerto Rican singer was supposed to display.

We never did get around to the Kid Rock show, although the Zoomers were interested. And loud, though not enough to wake up the Boomers.

The Buddhist story was much more interesting. They were no more than fifteen minutes from either of our locations and were headed over the Chain Bridge from Arlington into the District at seven this morning. There were glances at the clock on the wall.

Miles waved to get attention. “The 2,300 miles of the walk averaged more than 21 miles a day. That should give us some perspective, since that is the equivalent of covering a little less than the 26.2 miles of a marathon every day for more than three months.”

Melissa shook her blond tresses. “That is incredible. What are they doing it for?”
Vic looked at his tablet. “The organizer is a venerable man named Bhikkhu Pannakara, also known by his civilian name, Sư Tuệ Nhân. He’s 44 years old, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk based at Huong Dao Temple in Fort Worth, Texas.”

“Yeah,” said Splash. “He began planning the epic march late last year to set an example of peace, trust, and harmony — in the capital of one of the remaining superpowers — and to show diplomats from other nations that harmony is worth sacrifice. They made it to Dumfries, Virginia during the halftime show we missed.”

“That’s twenty-five miles south on the I-95 corridor,” said Holly, rolling her blue eyes. “So the last haul into NoVA was a little over their daily average. But they were happy about their progress and the crowds that welcomed them.”

Miles nodded. “There is another story of determination in the larger coverage of the march. Here near the end, it was revealed that Bhikkhu suffered a medical issue to which he refused to submit.”
He reached forward to fill his Flat Yank coffee mug. “He is no longer in the lead of the procession but is continuing to plod forward near the rear of the column. Medical assistance is marching with him.”
“That’s not the only one on the injured list,” said Rocket. “Aloka the Peace Dog injured his paw and is restricted to movement in ten-minute increments at several stops during the day.”

(Image: happy pet)
The idea of ‘marching medicine’ brought things to a brief pause.

Gale came in with a platter of ground-chicken meatballs and looked puzzled.“Why would this group of fit young men attempt such a feat? They marched resolutely into a major snowstorm that crippled the capital two weeks ago. Some neighborhoods are still dealing with the frustrating aftermath — trash not picked up, overflowing bins, loose bags piling up in alleys behind homes and apartment buildings.”
“That will not stop them,” said Miles. “They have carried days of peace and tranquility on their trek despite continued historic cold temperatures.”

“They’re entering DC today over the Chain Bridge and finishing the Walk for Peace,” said Splash. “And they’re bringing the heroic dog who rejoined the walk after surgery last month. He is a street dog from India, and his own inspirational story. He trotted along the whole way from Texas.”
Miles had taken a poll yesterday afternoon and discovered the group was unanimous in its support for peace. He was back at the north end of the conference table this morning a little early, well rested from a long morning nap after tossing and turning through the Super Bowl on Sunday.

He was pleased that Melissa had taken some initiative and dragged out the Chairman’s box of letters, some of them a half-century old. He made brief remarks about that, looking down the table at the regulars.

“What I’d like you to do is go through that large stack of papers one at a time. That will keep us moving forward but give discipline to the actual content. We did that Letter from Korea yesterday to cover the Super Bowl mishap. I liked the one about doing a winter trip to Labrador as a contrast to the winter that came here.”

“I heard a good one on Gutfeld! last night,” someone said. “He was clearing out old topics and mentioned that there are twice as many Jewish people in the United States as there are Puerto Ricans, seven million to 3.2 — so maybe Roger Goodell could do a trick next year with an Israeli-themed halftime.”

Vic raised his tablet. “That’s yesterday’s news. The monks reached Day 107 yesterday and marched through downtown Alexandria. I got a picture from ARLnow that shows them crossing Fern Street on Army-Navy Drive near the old office.”

“They’re across the Chain Bridge now,” said Miles, “but we can still send a team of Zoomers over to cover the afternoon. The schedule says Washington National Cathedral officials are preparing for an interfaith gathering, along with a public event at Bender Arena. Then they’ll carry the Walk with a unity stroll along Embassy Row.”

“You can’t just put peace on the table in front of Washington, Israel, Iran, Russia, and the others who don’t seem to want tranquility,” someone muttered.

The monks are expected to end the day with a private overnight stop at George Washington University. After crossing the bridge, they plan stops at the Peace Monument on Capitol Hill and at St. Mark’s Capitol Hill Church before the final march to the Lincoln Memorial, where the journey will officially conclude.

“Which it actually won’t,” said Rocket, “since they’re supposed to continue on afterward to Annapolis. No fanfare — just still walking.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I walked to the Academy,” Rocket added. “But I usually had my thumb out for a ride.”

Miles picked up the remote and began the cumbersome process of finding local news among two hundred channels on the flat screen.

“The public is invited to join portions of the walk and outdoor gatherings as the group makes its way toward the National Mall,” he said. “It’s less than fifteen minutes away. We might want to go down after lunch.”

The monks released the following statement explaining why they are walking:

“Rooted in both spiritual devotion and civic purpose, the Walk for Peace seeks to remind Americans that peace is not a destination — it is a practice. As the nation faces challenges of division, mental-health crises, and conflict both at home and abroad, this pilgrimage offers a simple yet profound message: peace begins within the heart of each person and extends outward to families, communities, and the nation as a whole.”

Copyright © 2026 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com

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(AP Photo Allison Joyce)