In "Porgy and Bess," a musical set in the share-croppers' South, there is a lullaby "Summertime." The song is meant to soothe a baby, "Summertime, and the living is easy," yet the lyrics turn thoughtful and they admonish "One of these mornings, you gonna miss your mammy, so don't you cry little baby, don't you cry." Here is the contrast between comfort and unease, conditions that have to be brought into balance. Most of us survive the rigors of life, some don't.

However, life is all around us in its abundance - people, animals, plants, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. The sun shines, the grass grows and rain puddles sparkle. This is the outer life over which we have more or less control. It is the inner life that represents the challenge.

There are certain precepts by which we live instilled in us by parents, friends, teachers, and clergy. Some of these make the living easy, others difficult when we "go against the grain."

At times, living becomes existence, an aimless drifting from day to day. How can we turn it around, to make life more meaningful in spite of our surroundings? No one says it's easy, but "that's life."