Tag: labor day

Speed Up or Slow Down?

end_of_summer

Okay, so don’t get mad at me, but I have to tell you something.

I saw a few red and yellow leaves on my bushes and trees. I know it’s not fall (even if the 10-day forecast is 10-15 degrees cooler than it’s been). It’s too early for that. I actually saw them last week and tried to just ignore it. I thought it must be a fluke. I’m still waiting for summer to kick in! Once again, it seems that I missed summer entirely while waiting for it to get here.

I realize that we’re not into fall yet, but I also remember that it starts to get chilly a couple of weeks after school starts. I remember back-to-school shopping while it’s so hot outside and trying to convince the kids that they actually do need pants and warmer clothes. Now it’s getting colder sooner, it seems, and this is likely to happen within the next month.

Labor Day is only a few weeks away and that pretty much ends all of our summer-type activities. With that in mind, I decided to look at all of the things that I wanted to do this summer and, boy, was I disappointed! I didn’t get to a pool, I didn’t go to a summer concert, and I didn’t even get to a farmer’s market. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure exactly what I DID do but here I am and I need to decide what to do about it.

My first inclination is to look at my calendar and fill it up with all the things I haven’t yet done. Then, though, I decided to look back over the last two months. On most days of my appointment book, I have something written in. They may not all be things I wanted to do and they may not even have been important things, but there is something written on most days. What this tells me is that, even though I didn’t get to do the things I planned on, I had obviously done some other stuff. After looking at it, I realized that I don’t want to add to my already busy days by fitting in extra things I felt like I missed. There’s a reason I missed them; I was already busy!

I’ve decided, instead, to look at my next 4-6 weeks/weekends and decide where I can fit the top 3 things I wanted to do. I don’t need to be an overachiever here. I’m kind of satisfied with the level of activity I had, just not what I missed out on. I’m finding it much easier to make compromises now and I’m not feeling nearly as guilty as I used to when I don’t get things done. I can’t do it all anymore. Even if I could, it’s just not worth it.

I find that almost everybody I know is overbooked, over busy, and over stressed. Why add on to any of that? Take a look now and decide what’s most important to you over the next month. Do those things and let the rest of it go. Then, when fall does roll around, you can sit back and be happy with what you did this summer.

Then we’ll start on fall…and wine tours and apple picking and harvest fests…

Did Somebody Say Labor Day Sale?

firepit

We all know that our major holidays are known as much for the sales anymore as the holiday itself.  We couldn’t let Labor Day go by without a mention.

There are several sources that list the best buys, but typically over this holiday, you can expect to see big discounts on:

  • Patio Furniture
  • Grills
  • Lawnmowers
  • Cars
  • Bikes
  • Holiday travel tickets
  • Mattresses
  • Big appliances (except refrigerators)
  • Wine

If you need any of the above, you might want to take a look at your local sales between parties!

Have a nice relaxing weekend!

 

 

What is Labor Day About?

I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I’m not that familiar with the actual history of Labor Day.  The one thing I do know is that it’s a day off work and typically filled with parades, picnics, barbecues, and fun!  While I was aware that I should probably know more than this, I never really looked into it much.  I have decided to learn a bit more and thought I’d share it with you.   If you’re going to a bbq or party over this Labor Day weekend, here’s a little bit of info about the holiday that you can share so you sound like an expert.

The definition, according to History.com.

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/labor-day

“Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events.”

I did some reading on this and I have to admit that I had no idea of (or had forgotten about) the workers’ struggles that initiated the movement for Labor Day.  This time in history (in the late 1800s) was at the height of the Industrial Revolution.  During this time, the average American was working every single day of the week, 12 hours every day, just to survive.  They were forced to work in unsafe and unhealthy work environments and small children were put to work as well.  Brave workers organized labor unions and held strikes and protests about the working conditions, the pay, and the safety concerns.  This was, in reality, a time of both violence and of celebration.  I am now very grateful to those people who stood up for their rights, those that took the chances and those that lost their lives in order to bring about change in worker’s rights that we now enjoy and usually take for granted.

There is, to this day, some debate as to who initially proposed the idea of Labor Day but following such events as the Haymarket Riot of 1886 (in Chicago) and the events of the Pullman Strike of 1894 (in Chicago), President Grover Cleveland and the United States Congress voted unanimously to approve legislation to make Labor Day a national holiday.   The first proposal of the holiday included the form that the celebration should take:

A street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” followed by a festival for the workers and their families.

Labor Day is a tribute to the contributions that workers have made, and continue to make, to the growth and continued prosperity of our country.  So, thanks to our hardworking ancestors, the labor unions, and all who participated in the labor movement we will, on Monday, continue to enjoy our “workingmen’s holiday”.