Treading Water

Don’t you just love it when summer officially comes in Wisconsin, I certainly do.  Although short lived, it does make us feel good to enjoy the warmer weather, if only for a few months.  It’s a time to take advantage of doing a number of outdoor activities including going to the beach, listening to a summer concert in the park, boating on the lake, running in a distance race, family reunion, gardening or just going on a meaningful day trip or vacation.  Without question, it is a time we all look forward to each year.    

On one hand, we see people who are making more than a livable wage or higher incomes.  For them these are great times.  It’s a time to invest in stocks, bonds, housing, and a business startup, become an adventure capitalist or just sit back and enjoy the fruits of one’s labor.  There seems to be no limit on what can be done, the sky is the limit, for these are some of the “best” days of their lives.  It is certainly a time of personal enrichment, renewal, expansion and to “ride the waves until they stop.”       

On the other hand and regardless of what each season brings, a lot of people living in urban America see little to no change at all in terms of their socioeconomic status or living condition.  Today, there are many more people who lives only consist of a daily grind to ink out a simple living and nothing more.  Without a break, each day they find it quite difficult to see any potential opportunity in the midst of just getting by.  Even when working a second or third part time job, they can only do the basic bare medium and yet feel trapped by the reality of real life experiences. 

The one sure thing about treading water in life is the fact that you have to be able to stay afloat, all the while trying to keep your head above water.  It is much harder than you think and to accomplish.  And when you do not have a certain level of education, training skills nor the opportunity, the next incoming wave can take you under.  It is one thing to keep your hands moving and legs kicking, it’s another to see your way forward when all around you looks and feels the same.