There is a story unfolding across America's South that has been healing for many at a time when the news cycle is dominated by war, street violence, and political tension.

On October 26, 2025, a procession of Buddhist monks left their temple in Texas to begin a 120-day, on-foot spiritual trek to Washington, D.C. Their mission is simple: to promote national healing and peace. At a time when many forces seem to be pulling America apart, these monks are here to bring people together.

"My hope is, when this walk ends, the people we met will continue practicing mindfulness and find peace," said the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the group's leader, according to the Independent.

Along for the "Walk of Peace" journey has been Aloka, a rescued Indian pariah dog who captured hearts across the country and later became a cause for concern after being sidelined by a leg injury. Aloka is now recovering and hopes to rejoin the monks once healed.

The monks have touched countless hearts on their trek to spread peace and love, and they created what felt like a near miracle during a stop in Raleigh, North Carolina, on January 25. Samantha Bray and her family were among the spectators hoping to see the monks along their journey, and she couldn't believe the effect they had on her son, Vincent, who is nonverbal and autistic.

As the monks walked by, they noticed Vincent and approached him. One of the monks tied a bracelet around the boy's wrist as Vincent held his mother's hand. For his family, the moment was astonishing—Vincent had never allowed anyone to put anything on his wrist before, not even those close to him.

Bray later shared the video on Facebook, where it received more than a million views. The monks also reposted the clip on their growing social media accounts.

Bray wrote in her post:

"Today was such a blessing. We caught the Buddhist Monks in the Walk for Peace. My daughter and I were on the sidewalk while my son and husband were a little ways back. One of the Buddhist Monks saw our son and asked if he was ok. My husband brought our son up. They prayed over our son, who is autistic and nonverbal, and tied the holy thread around his wrist and gave our daughter flowers."

The monks responded:

"Thank you, Samantha, for sharing your family's precious experience with all of us. May the blessing continue to shine in your son's life and in your whole family's hearts."

"Having that moment with our family, surrounded by our community and the monks, it was just a really beautiful moment to experience," Bray told WRAL. "And to even add, you know, for him to tolerate that and kind of just being in that moment together was pretty spectacular."

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Traditionally, when a Buddhist monk shares a bracelet, it carries multiple meanings. It's meant to promote mindfulness, serving as a reminder to focus on having a deeper connection to the present moment. The bracelets are also believed to promote inner peace, offer protection from negative energies, and help ward off obstacles along one's spiritual path.

There's a lot of good in this world; you just have to look around to find it sometimes. While those who wage war and sow chaos often get the most attention, it's important to remember that many people are also fighting for good. These monks are a powerful reminder that simple acts, like gentle kindness, can overcome forces of negativity and division.

What creatures have eight legs, nine brains, and dozens of fun and fascinating facts about them? Octopuses, of course. (Wait, is octopuses or octopi? Octopodes, perhaps?)

However interesting we think our suction-cupped, cephalopodic friends are, we're probably selling them short. That's the contention of Sarah, a comedic content creator on TikTok who's been sharing everything she's learned about octopuses, because they're far more bizarre than we might think.

"However impressed or fascinated you are by octopuses, it's honestly probably not enough," she says. "We are severely underreacting to octopuses collectively."

Once you see her video, it's clear she's not wrong.

Octopuses are fascinating and I DO want to hold a tiny guy if possible just putting that out in to the universe 😬🐙#creatorsearchinsights #octopus #weirdanimals #animalfacts #didyouknow

With a hilariously understated sense of humor, Sarah shares facts like the idea that octopuses don't have tentacles, as many of us have been led to believe, but arms instead. Tentacles have suckers only at the end, while an octopus's arms have them from top to bottom.

"They decorate their front yards with shells and other shiny things they find in the ocean," Sarah says, adding, "I wonder if they judge other octopuses for how they decorate their front yard. Like, is there an octopus HOA?"

Sarah points out that The Beatles' song "Octopus's Garden" was inspired by this delightful fact.

Many of us know that octopuses are smart, but we may not know that they have a brain in each arm in addition to the brain in their heads, which is shaped like a donut. They can solve mazes and complete tricky tasks. And if their beak can fit through a hole, so can their whole body.

"So a fully grown giant Pacific octopus, which can literally be 30 feet long, can fit through a hole the size of a lemon," says Sarah. "And I don't care for that, particularly. I would never say that to an octopus's face because, evidently, they can recognize us, which I find unsettling. Note to self: Do not be mean to an octopus."

Because each arm has its own brain, it can operate independently, complete with its own sensory system.

Each of those arms has its own brain?Photo credit: Canva

"I feel like they're smarter than us," Sarah says. "Are we confident they're not smarter than us? For instance, they will prank their prey. You know the joke where like old men will tap you on one shoulder, but surprise, they're at the other shoulder? Octopus do that. If they're hunting a shrimp, they'll tap it on the faraway shoulder so the shrimp runs directly into them. Like, 'gotcha!' I don't want octopus to do gotcha."

On a positive note, Sarah shows some examples of exquisitely colorful octopuses, though some of the most "fancy and beautiful" ones are also highly venomous.

That may have been the end of Sarah's video, but she wasn't finished. There's a part two that features blanket octopuses, the female superheroes of the sea. And that's not even the wildest part:

Replying to @LalainID did yall know........

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