2 Marines
30 Iraqi soldiers
25 Iraqi civilians
That's the body count so far today.

On my street in Manhattan I have noticed there always seems to be a large number of wheel-chair bound people going to and fro. Some of them horribly disfigured, missing limbs, using blow tubes to move. It turns out there is a rehab center nearby because I live near NYU Medical Center.

The man I worked with yesterday at the center was trying to detox from heroin, booze and pills. He lost his job, apartment, money, girlfriend, health and family.
What do these three things have in common? They all serve as daily reminders of how lucky I am, how grateful I should be for having everything I need and many of things I want.

I have found a path that has led me to serenity and peace of mind. It requires some work, it requires a LOT of giving and very little taking and it has proven to be an effective method of eliminating fear, anger, resentment, envy and worry from my life.

I am human, I am not perfect, I still feel the rush of those negative emotions sometimes and I still act in impulsive and unhealthy ways sometimes.

I have had a major change in my work life the last three months. Specifically I started my own company and hired myself out as a consultant to another one. Thus my 32 day trip to China. Even good changes can be stressful and I saw that I was forgetting to be grateful, straying from the path, and being self-focused and self-centered. I lost touch with what got me this far.

What a luxury it is to even be able to see life and myself in this manner.

What a luxury it is to remember that I really only have good days and great days.