Better Days

I heard this beautiful holiday song in the car yesterday, and as the Goo Goo Dolls launched into it, I was with them 100 percent:

And you ask me what I want this year

And I try to make this kind and clear

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

Cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings

And designer love and empty things

Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

It's true. As happy as designer jeans make me for a fleeting moment, they don't come anywhere close to the gift of love. I didn't always have that understanding, so I'm especially grateful to have it now. With this understanding, I feel quite sure that if we could all come back to our heart space, we would find better days.

This week I was fortunate enough to be able to have a conversation with someone who has been tremendously successful at doing very similar work to what I was trying to do by bringing yoga to teachers in schools -- support teachers from the inside out. We talked about the challenges ahead in education reform and he recommended I read a book called Love and Power. I love that someone has written a book with that title, and I definitely intend to read it. I'm hopeful that it has tips to help ensure actions come from that vast, all-powerful heart space.

Speaking of vast, all-powerful heart spaces, for the Christians among us, Christmas is a natural time for moving back into that space. But even for those who do not celebrate the birth of a savior on Christmas Day, the holidays offer a reset button in the form of a New Year. So whether it's Christmas or New Year's that puts your finger on the button, let's make sure we reset it to love for 2011:

Take these words

And sing out loud

Cause everyone is forgiven now

Cause tonight's the night the world begins again

And it's someplace simple where we could live

And something only you can give

And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive...