This past Monday, while picking up my Symbicort prescription at CVS Pharmacy CVS Health in Allentown, I experienced a powerful reminder of why this work is so important.

As I waited at the pharmacy counter, I overheard a woman speaking with the pharmacist about her epinephrine auto-injector prescription. She shared that she had experienced a severe allergic reaction over the weekend. As I listened, my heart sank.

She explained that when she attempted to use her first EpiPen, the needle never deployed. Thankfully, she was carrying a second device. Her husband administered it to her before emergency responders arrived.

I introduced myself and told her how relieved I was to have a second EpiPen available. We spoke for a few moments, and she described how terrifying the experience had been. She couldn't stop thinking about what might have happened if she hadn't had that second device with her.

Then she shared something that concerned me even more.

She told me she no longer had any EpiPens available because she had used her last one during the emergency. She was waiting for her doctor to send a new prescription, but it was taking longer than expected.

She then looked at me and asked, "How do you know so much about food allergies?" I took a deep breath and shared Elijah's story. I explained how my son, Elijah-Alavi, lost his life to an allergic reaction and how that tragedy led me to dedicate my life to food allergy awareness, education, and advocacy. I told her why I speak so passionately about carrying two epinephrine auto-injectors and why I constantly remind individuals and families that epinephrine saves lives.

Without hesitation, I reached into my backpack. I carry additional epinephrine auto-injectors with me, and I handed it to her. For a moment, she was speechless. Then the emotion hit.

She thanked me repeatedly. She was overwhelmed, not because of the medication itself, but because someone understood exactly what she had just gone through. I told her that I simply wanted her to be safe and to have access to the life-saving medication she needed until her prescription could be filled.

After thanking me again, she left the pharmacy. A few minutes later, as I walked outside, I noticed she and her husband were still in the parking lot talking. While sitting in his car, her husband thanked me personally. I told him that while I was grateful I could help, the real hero was him.

When his wife needed him most, he acted. He didn't freeze. He didn't hesitate. He used that second epinephrine auto-injector and helped save her life. We talked about how important it is for people to know where epinephrine is located, how to use it, and to act immediately during anaphylaxis. In an emergency, preparation and action can make all the difference.

Before we parted ways, I wished them both well and reminded them to always carry two epinephrine devices. When anaphylaxis strikes, use epinephrine first and use it fast.

As I drove home, I couldn't stop thinking about the encounter.

Years ago, I would have given anything for someone to have been there for Elijah to save his life. Sometimes advocacy happens in legislative chambers. Sometimes it happens at community events. And sometimes it happens unexpectedly in the middle of a CVS Pharmacy

For me, it was a reminder that preparedness matters. Education matters. Access matters. And carrying a second epinephrine device can mean the difference between life and death.

I work with kindergarten and first grade kiddos. They know when they need a "Mama hug" I'm always there! They may be small but they can have some big feelings and knowing someone cares can turn their whole day around! We are coming to the end of the year and that stresses a lot of my little people out! So hug away and make a day!💕Peace💕

Just as I believe the secret to long term happiness is be happy today, the same goes for peace. Pick your battle, use your powerful focus to zoom in on what uplifts you, spend time alone, put down your phone, take a hot bath, love your pet, meditate, journal, read (not the news) listen to music...make your peace an act of resistance in these deeply unpraceful times.

Visited an old friend in the hospital to let him know he is not alone in the fight

Iceland is ranked no. 1 in the world for peace. It has consistently held the top spot on the Global Peace Index for over 15 years.

When peace is your foundation, you're building something that will last

One of my favorite peace quotes is Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. - Buddha

Today as on other days I have smiled at, and seen the smiles of, people who you could say were strangers. I do not consider them so, which is one of the reasons I smile and say hello. They are My Brothers and Sisters...and I wish all of them/you Peace and all that is Best...

Happiness...

...and Success...

Michael

I bought someone a coffee today anonymously.

For clients who have lost their jobs or their insurance, I have offered pro bono work. It's been a lifeline during a stressful time.

I promise to make the bed each day and unload the dishwasher.

I am percolating peace by helping my friends in bad situations. Also I sit and listen to them só I can understand their situation. I then try to assist them.

I prayed with a friend who lost her daughter

I took a moment of peace today with my two children. We went on a walk. I really am enjoying The Peace Guidebook. I love the parenting advice. Thank you.

We promise to eat dinner together at least once per week. When we do, we are going to ask our kids about peace. Please write an article to better guide us. Thank you Elizabeth and Katie. We just discovered you on YouTube. Never stop putting your messages into the world. We need you both. The world needs you right now and always.

We are preparing for a big move out of state, and although I will take some things and throw away other things, I found a Facebook group called "Buy Nothing." Here, you give to others what you don't want or need. It keeps things out of the landfill and is a true people=to-people program. People are thrilled to get your discards. We had an old pop-up awning that had seen better days but was still functional. I posted it and a young woman, an immigrant with two young children. came and was so happy to get this. She spoke little English, but I could tell she was happy. It made me happy. It makes the Earth happy. I am grateful for what I have, and what I can give to others. Less is more.

I forgave someone and restored peace in our relationship

I promise to do a random act of kindness eack week.

I just donated 5 new coats to a local shelter in my area. It feels like it's going to be a very cold winter here in Minnesota.

I helped my co-worker by covering his shifts so he didn't miss his daughter's game.

I passed some peace along today by buying the coffee for the car in back of me today in the drive thru.

I helped someone with their website today!

When I check out of a store I engaged in conversation with the Cashier and after our conversation she said,"Thanks for your kindnesss, you just made my day."

I attend a demonstration every Saturday at noon to 12:30p.m. with the Peacebuilders group in Oberlin. We carry signs such as "No More Bombs".

I wish all 2026-2027 Junior League Board and Management team the best of luck for the upcoming league year.

I turn on the television, I open my laptop, I overhear converastions of others in the community around me. It feels like everything around me broods negativity and a sense of foreboding. This is my jungle.

But there is still one thing that the jungle cannot deny itself, nature.

As I begin this journey, it speaks of "nature" being an external aspect of our lives, and that is an accurate assessment. But it is also a place where I can find my own peace, where I can escape the narrative-driven jungle surrounding me.

Listening to the birds chirping brings forth a sense of harmony within me. The gentle stream flowing reminds me that I am still moving forward. Have you ever seen a stream change direction and flow upstream when it has always flowed downstream? And the wind blowing through the trees, the movement of the trees and branches, and the feeling of the air blowing on my skin. This is where I can start percolating peace, by feeling the peace percolaring into me. As I look at the battery life of my cell phone as I write this, I know I need to plug it in to recharge it. That is symbolic to how I find myself needing to have my own peace within recharged. I cannot percolate peace unto others until I can percolate peace into myself. #percolatepeace

Yesterday at the grocery store, I noticed a mom with a toddler who clearly looked rushed and overwhelmed, so I invited her to go ahead of me in line. The gratitude on her face was immediate and heartfelt, and her response reminded me how much even the smallest acts of kindness can mean. We never really know what someone else may be carrying.

A neighbor's garbage was blown all over the street and I picked it up.

Peace is the ocean in the morning

"Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow another person or event to control your emotions."— Pema Chödrön

I know that if I invoke peace as an option in any given situation, the odds of a good outcome for everyone incrreases exponentionally

I engaged with a customer service representative at the checkout counter, and after our exchange, she said.." Thanks for your kindness today...you just made my day."

When I check out of a store I engaged in conversation with the Cashier and after our conversation she said,"Thanks for your kindnesss, you just made my day."

Recently, while I was at my neighborhood coffee shop, I handed the ladies $30 and asked them to buy coffee for the next X people. A couple became aware that I did and were thankful. The best part for me was that there were people that were going to get a small bit of happiness added to their day.

I make a point of telling the people I see every day that I care about them. Every person and action does matter, and I try to be conscious of that: it makes the my day better, and the lives of the people I intersect just a little bit better.

I have begun using a more defined purposeful pause. The primary purpose is to maintain clarity on what I can and cannot control. When I choose to pause and choose acceptance, I am choosing calm and peace.

I have found more peace as I get further in the Peace Guidebook! I have actually carved out time just for me to read my Bible, pray and read the Peace Guidebook every day after work! No TV, no interruption just quiet and time to digest and practice what I am reading! Dr. Katie is a part of my family and always will be! Her book Uplifting, the first two chapters are about my brother Jason! So yes, I've had several instances where I didn't know where to draw from to get peace! But thanks to Dr. Katie, I babe the folks to live peacefully each day! I work for a Specialty Pharmacy that is spiritually based and I am able to share my positive quotes with my Work Family everyday! God has blessed me tremendously just for giving encouragement and positivity out there on display! Love you, Dr. Katie!!

💜🙏🤗🥰

I promise to stop honking my horn at others out of frustration. I realized a am doing this and promise myself and the world I will stop doing this.

I joined forces with Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino and Dr. Katie Eastman -- authors of The Peac Guidebook -- by making a promise to work together toward a more peaceful world. We launched a Peace Promise Movement that we hope will inspire millions of people around the world to join us in making a promise to support peaceful solutions to gloval issues. We can make peace a reality, one person and one promise at a time.

Yesterday my friend and I donated to the food pantry cupboard in our community park. Someone had opened and spilled a bag of butterscotch chips which had partially melted on the shelf. We removed the spilt pieces and cleaned the shelf to keep the space clean and sanitary for our neighbors in need.

Peace is wonderful

This Thanksgving I donated food to a local food bank. It was my first time doing this and I would encourage everyone to do this.

Today marked a sad anniversary for one of my parents dying. I spent the day helping an elderly couple near me rake up the leaves on their lawn.

The world needs us all now to be peaceful. I'm here in Colorado and I'm passing the peace on to animals by donating dog food to a local shelter.

We finished writing about peace today.

I brought coffee into work for everyone today.

H.H. The Dalai Lama encourages every family to have a peace zone in their home. This is a better idea than timeout. Whenever a child or an adult is in need of an emotional reset, just go into this comfortable inspiring place, and think about solutions that create greater peace. Decorate the peace zone with everything that you would want to make yourself feel inspired, luscious uncomfortable. Inspiring quotes from great peace luminaries. Yoga mats and pillows. Piece of something that we have to cultivate and maneuvering through challenging or aggressive or volatile situations with Grace is not easy until it becomes part of our practice.

I promise myself to be grateful

There was a stretch of days when the world felt heavy with smoke and urgency, and without much announcement, I slipped away to Los Angeles.

No spotlight, no big declaration, just a quiet pull to be useful.

I found my place with World Central Kitchen, José Andrés’ living, breathing answer to chaos, where food becomes immediate care. In borrowed kitchens and makeshift spaces, I did what I know how to do best. I hugged. And I cooked. Simple things, steady things. Meals that didn’t try to impress, just to comfort.

Plates passed into the hands of first responders carrying exhaustion in their eyes and soot on their sleeves. No long conversations, no need for recognition, just a nod, a thank you, sometimes a brief pause where you could feel the weight lift, even if only for a moment.

There’s a kind of peace that doesn’t ask to be noticed. It just shows up, hot and ready, exactly when it’s needed.

It wasn’t grand. It wasn’t loud. But it was real.

In the middle of chaos, peace lived in those small exchanges, in service, in presence, in choosing to care without needing to be seen.

And maybe that’s how it multiplies.

In the middle of the smoke, we fed people. And to me, that felt like peace.

I detangled and braided a young patients hair before surgery so it wouldn't get matted

My neighbor spent all winter clearing off my car, even going out mutliple times during a particularly bad snow storm. He recently had an injury, so I've been able to return the favor by dropping off gifts/helping him with his packages. We help each other out and believe in neighborly kindness!

Thank you for doing this project and allowing this forum for people to share inspration and and suggestions to make the world better

Peace is a universal language

What would be the effect if we had Peace Signs as road signs? "Drive Serenely: Peace Up Ahead".

We adopted a dog yesterday! Bring peace to animals too please!

I brought coffee into work for everyone today.

Yesterday, I donated items to our local Good Will. I hope they bring someone peace.

Congratulations on your book!

I promise to take 3 deep breaths and reset before reacting to stressful situations or frustrating news. I also promise to set aside 5 minutes a day for quiet reflection or meditation to ground my thoughts. I love your website and book by the way. Thank you both so much. I hope it becomes an international bestseller because this is EXACTLY what the world needs!!!!

There's something about a cool New Hampshire morning. The air is so clean you can smell the organic nature of life, nutrients in the soil of a garden bed, and the zest of dew on a maple bud. Make a promise to yourselt to get outside today and look around. Inhale. Smile at the luxury of being alive. Peace lives right there.

I bought 25 copies of The Peace Guidebook to give to my office. This book guides us all as a beacon of light in this crazy world we are living in. It reminded me today to stop and pause before reacting and choose my next words and behaviors more wisely when I was on a very contentious global call yesterday. I brought the book up in conversation to help us all to stop bickering and come to a solution. It worked like a charm!! I wholeheartedly hope to see this book and these authors help us all find global peace. This is definitely the way forward.

I pray in this .moment any and all who are struggling with conflict and pain have relief and peace in the knowing they are Loved. The darkness you see and/or feel and/or know is nothing before the Almighty Lord, who sees you in the perfection in which you were made and has placed this prayer for you my heart.

Today I found a moment of peace, lying in the grass, watching the clouds while the dogs sat beside me, smiling. For a few minutes, everything felt still and perfect. It reminded me I can slow down and return to that each day.

I helped my neighbors during this past storm.

Peace begins with me. The peace we give to ourselves we can then give to others.

Namaste

As I teach my yogi kids at the end of each class we have a simple meditation we practice. We say, " Peace begins with me." The peace we give ourselves we can then pass on to others.

Namaste

I am reminding myself today to be peaceful with an affirmation.

I bought a free coffee for someone ahead of me in Starbucks today. I hope I made their day a bit more peaceful.

Today as on other days I have smiled at, and seen the smiles of, people who you could say were strangers. I do not consider them so, which is one of the reasons I smile and say hello. They are My Brothers and Sisters...and I wish all of them/you Peace and all that is Best...

Happiness...

...and Success...

Michael