I got home from Iraq, but I wasn't truly home. After almost a month of being on edge and scanning rooftops of pizzarias for snipes there was one night where I found a mixed CD from high school. I couldn't even remember what was on the damn thing but I plugged in my headphones, loaded it, and waited for something to distract me for what was usually a 3 hour wait to try to sleep for 3 hours before I was awake before everyone and waited for the day to start.

I was greeted with DMX. I couldn't even contain myself because I thought all my CD's with DMX were stolen when my car was broken in to. After that I listened to Boyz II Men. Then Ruff Ryders. Jadakiss. I was listening to all my favorites from the late ninties and very early two thousands. It was so great I smiled like I hadn't for a while.

And then I woke up. I had slept 10 hours. The first time I had slept over 6 hours in over a year, the first time I slept over 4 since I'd been home. I was so well rested, all the sore muscles were gone, I had truly been able to achieve a mental peace for the first time since being in Iraq.

Music gave me peace, and clarity, and calm.