I have been following the Buddhist monks who began a pilgrimage from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. last fall. They are walking roughly 2,300 miles through ten states as a practice—walking meditation devoted to peace, compassion, gratitude, and loving-kindness. A rescue dog named Aloka walks with them.
Each time I see a post about them, and the crowds who gather to greet them and bow in thanks, I cry.
These monks wake up, walk, and then wake up and do it again the next day. They keep going through snow and cold. They choose the same purpose again and again as the miles add up.
In a time when there is so much rage and pain in our country, many of us are searching for something that helps us connect with each other. When I see these monks walking and people greeting them with reverence, I feel what gratitude can do. It lifts the heaviness, even if only for a moment.
Your Own Gratitude Walk
You may not be walking 2,300 miles. Still, you can take five minutes and turn it into a meditation of thanks. Step outside or walk slowly through your home. With each step, name one thing that has supported you recently—one person, one moment, one ordinary act of kindness. Keep it specific.
When you return home, send a message to someone who helped you: “Thank you. I will remember your kindness.”
Personal Reflection
This reflection, inspired by the practices in Take a Shot at Happiness, helps you integrate what you have just read.
Photo Op
Photograph your shoes, your doorway, or the ground where you walked. Let the image hold the moment you chose to notice.
Action Opportunity
Look at your photo and reflect on why you chose the image and how you felt during your Gratitude Walk.
With practice, moments like these build something you can return to. You begin to recognize support while it is happening, not only after it has passed. Gratitude becomes less about a feeling you chase and more about a way you live—by noticing, acknowledging, and giving thanks in real time.
There is more to explore. ⬇️
My latest Best Holistic Life article, a podcast conversation, the Take a Shot at Happiness App, and my transformational travel journeys are all here to support your wholebeing in mind, body, and spirit.
Wellbeing Travel Experiences
My Sojourn Explorers journeys are designed for wellbeing in its fullest sense—how you feel in your body, how your mind settles when life slows down, and how you reconnect with what supports you. When you are in the right environment, gratitude becomes easier to access, because you can actually feel what is nourishing you.
These places give you room to breathe and time to notice. You pay attention to what restores you—sleep, movement, nature, meaningful conversation, silence, beauty, care. You return home with something practical: a clearer understanding of what helps you feel well, and what you want to protect in your daily life.
Take a Shot at Happiness Retreat: Vermejo, New Mexico
At Vermejo, the day begins with space. You look out and there is land in every direction. Light moves across the fields in a way that makes you stop what you were about to do.
People tend to reach for their phones less here. They walk first. They breathe first. The mind loosens its grip without being asked.
Later, we work with the camera and the journal. You take the photo, then you sit with what pulled you toward it. You write what you notice once you slow down long enough to see it. It can be a shadow line, a gate, the edge of a window, a single tree holding its ground. The practice stays personal. You begin to recognize what your attention has been asking for, and what it has been avoiding.
In the Okavango Delta, the day is set by water and light. You feel it the first morning. You step outside and your senses come online fast. The air is different. Sound carries. You watch the channels change the way they want to, and you realize how rarely you let anything move at its own pace.
Photography becomes part of how you meet the place. You cannot force a moment here. You learn that quickly. You watch the surface of the water for a ripple, the reeds for a shift, the horizon for movement that is almost invisible until it is not. A guide points, you lift the camera, then you pause. You wait for the second that feels true. Sometimes it is elephants crossing a floodplain. Sometimes it is one bird on one branch that holds your attention longer than you expected.
At the end of the day, you look through your images and see more than wildlife. You see where you rushed. You see where you stayed. You see what you kept returning to. The Delta has a way of bringing you back to what you came for, without making a speech about it.
Used alongside the practices shared here, it becomes a way to track your inner life over time — what steadies you, what drains you, and what brings you back into alignment with yourself.
Book Endorsement
If this work has supported you in any way, I would appreciate you sharing your experience with others on a platform you trust.
For my February Best Holistic Life article, I share the One Habit to Lift Your Heart. Though the month often speaks the language of love, one of love’s deepest expressions is gratitude. Read more to discover how thankfulness reaches beyond just one season.
Unlock what is possible with the Sukha community. Connect with a like-minded circle of motivated individuals, gain clarity, and stay on track in our inspiring virtual co-working space. Begin your 14-day free trial and see how focused support can help you thrive.
May your awareness support you as the year unfolds.
With love, Maria Your Fellow Happiness Explorer
These reflections are part of Take a Shot at Happiness—a living exploration of how we think, feel, and choose our way through life. They sit alongside my work designing Sojourn Explorers journeys, where the same values are experienced through place, presence, and meaningful travel.
P.S. ✨If this reflection feels worth sharing, you are welcome to pass it along. If you are that friend, welcome — you can sign up to receive these reflections each month:
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Hi! I'm Alec, an outdoor writer, photographer, and content creator.
Alec Sills-Trausch
Alec is a landscape photographer and outdoors storyteller with a zeal for pushing boundaries in the wild. He enjoys hiking, backpacking, and visiting remote places, allowing him to photograph locations the rest of the world shies away from. In addition, Alec loves to write about his travels and craft articles that help educate and inspire others to find their joy in nature.
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Sojourn to Happiness
Sign up for Maria Baltazzi’s Take a Shot at Happiness newsletter for practical ways to bring more happiness and meaning into your life. An award-winning author and happiness explorer, Maria shares science-backed tools to shift unproductive thoughts, stay inspired, and grow in fulfilling ways. Her book, Take a Shot at Happiness, has won multiple awards, including the Independent Press, NYC Big Book, and Nautilus Book Awards. She uniquely integrates camera phone photography and journaling as tools for self-reflection and personal growth. Each issue offers insightful advice, uplifting quotes, and simple ways to enhance your wellbeing. Join a community that values purpose, creativity, and happiness.
