Labor Day

Labor Day is weird. As a kid it seemed strange to me that a holiday was called “Labor” day. Why call a day you don’t labor, “Labor Day?”

It’s been around forever. It goes back to the end of the 1800s. I know that it was meant to honor the “labor” movement. But even that’s weird. Hasn’t there always been labor? Doesn’t everyone labor in some form or other? If not, why don’t we honor those that don’t labor. It seems to me those are the folks that really have it together.

I guess at one time “labor” was downtrodden and taken advantage of by “management.” Today it seems the union guys work the least and get paid the most, but maybe I’m just cynical. I know I’m not “management.” I’m not in charge of anything at my house or in my business. That’s sad since I’m a one man operation. I guess I’m all the “labor” there is.

As a kid I remember Labor Day as the weekend we would sit in front of the television to watch the Labor Day Telethon. That tells you just how bad television was when I was a kid. We could only catch three channels and only two of them very clear. Yesterday I was flipping back and forth between several football and baseball games and watching Sons of Anarchy Season One on my laptop. Maybe things were better when we had only 2 and 1/2 channels.   I spent yesterday watching way too much football on television. Labor Day seems to mark the start of football season. Last week all the college teams were undefeated, now only half of them are. I guess Labor Day sort of marks the beginning of the end of championship dreams for most. Kind of sad.

Labor Day has some fashion significance. I recall you shouldn’t wear white after Labor Day. Doesn’t mean much in my life. I’m not really a fashion kind of guy. I don’t wear white often. I guess in some places it’s cooler after Labor Day. Down here it’s sometimes still summer for Christmas. So the no white after labor day thing, doesn’t have much meaning here.

Labor Day used to signal the beginning of school, but school has been in session for two weeks now. I remember the first year school started before labor day, some parents refused to send their kids to school until after the Telethon weekend. Those were the days when a kid could really admire his parents.

I haven’t had much to write about the last few days and then, along came Labor Day. I guess that’s a good thing.

Enjoy your Labor Day even if you have no idea why you should.

Be blessed.

Nick