During the month of July, in which we celebrate Independence Day, community activities range from parades, fireworks, outdoor concerts and gatherings of families and friends. It’s also a great time for individual reflection about what’s important and to recommit to positive action to benefit self and others.

While I planned to write a song called “You Get My Goat,” I wrote this melody and decided, “This isn’t that song.” For no particular reason, I then changed the title to “Election Day.” After writing the lyrics to the tune, I again changed the title to “What It Is.” This is, in fact a meandering song, starting out as a reflection of frustrations of searching for work in a tight job market, then morphing to an expression of a wish to find meaning in life, then starting a diatribe, an ain’t-it-awful commentary about our culture, then a questioning of whether involvement in social problems is worth the effort, then a decision to embrace action, commitment and self-acceptance, then a wish for others to see their own value and how that value may be appreciated by others, and finally extolling the value and uniqueness of each individual who chooses to try to maximize their potential.

There are two versions of “What It Is” – a moderately slow lyrical version and a faster instrumental version. The addition of lyrics and change of speed tend to create different moods. It’s my hope that after listening, you’ll at least conclude, “It is ‘What It Is’”, and not “You get my goat!” 🙂

Cheers!