Labor day

Labor (definition, courtesy Webster online):

• work, especially hard physical work (n)
• work hard; make great effort (v)
• have difficulty in doing something despite working hard (v)

September arrived yesterday without a great deal of fanfare. Summer, for most schoolchildren – and their relieved parents – is over. The season, according to the calendar still has a few weeks. But this day, Monday, is an opportunity to catch a break. Next week, hotels, beaches, parks, national monuments will see fewer families traveling. College students will be back in class. Parents will have dropped their children off to school in the early morning hours again, and not have to keep them occupied from 8 to 5 pm. That will be thankfully on the schoolteachers, coaches, and afterschool program leaders till the December break.

For younger people, the arrival of the weekend (and not being scheduled to work, or it being a payday weekend) meant time to enjoy parties, gatherings, barbecues, concerts, or going to the beach, right up until the work week was to begin again. However, for the busy professionals, working parents, and all the laboring adults with homes, pets or other responsibilities, a much more productive plan usually takes over the weekend, Grocery shopping, tasks in the garden, laundry, home or car maintenance.

With my recent “retirement” – actually to work in our new husband and wife business, “weekends” are frequently in the middle of the week. I strive to take Dexter and Comet on long walks in the park during those times. While the first half of my working life involved a great deal of physical labor, the second half of my working life was mentally far more taxing. Adding the stress of commuting long distances several hours a day made me grateful for dogs to walk. With “retirement”, the dogs are going to get more special time with me.

On Labor Day, take the time to celebrate those who labor. Thank those who are working while others are on holiday. We all have endured a long, hot summer, and put in long hours in another challenging year. Personally, my family has not had much time to relax at all until this morning. As a retired Sailor, I am executing “holiday routine”.

After I walk Dexter and Comet.