I think I have always had to work on labor day - except maybe a few times as a kid. I never got the drift of it much. As it often does - this time - it comes on my birthday and I don't recall many of my birthdays when I was not working for one reason or another. I'm retired now but my wife is expecting me to do some chores on labor day. Maybe I can convice her to go with me to a parade somewhere.
A lot of people work on labor day because it is a big day of income for them. I came to understand that the day was mainly created as a holiday for government and union workers. As a kid from a farm, I think some of my labor days were spent huckstering sweet corn or watermelons at the end of the season to people who were going to the beach for a big party. Late in the day we could go down to the creek and eat one of the remaining melons while enjoying the cold water on sunburned necks. "Rednecks" as it were.
But - somehow in the back of my mind is a picture of how labor day should be - and I hope it will become that way again sometime for someone else's imagination to ponder as they work that day.
Now - of course - there are so many people unemployed - who have time to reflect on the day to honor labor. I hope they are back in the economy soon and that they get some of those labor days off - with PAY !!
This was my response to friend MJT's blog in Jacksonville.com
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