Happy Labor Day holiday. But, what's it all about?

Here in the good 'ole USA we are celebrating Labor Day, a day specifically honoring work ... by not working. Some interesting points: Labor Day was established to celebrate workers (the holiday was fast tracked because of the tragic labor strike in Pullman, Chicago--read about it, it's important), the day is also the last fashionable day to wear white, and Labor Day marks the beginning of NFL and College football! So, we get to ignore work, wear white one more time, and chow down on barbeque as we watch football--it's a great holiday, isn't it?
<note: I have no fashion sense, had no clue football started this weekend, but I do like barbeque ... which we didn't cook anyway>

Work somehow has turned into a kind-of bad word. I'm not entirely sure why. Without work there'd be virtually nothing around, because somebody had to sweat to put it together. And, hard work not only feels good, but satisfies a very deep urge to make a difference in the world. No matter how small your contribution, doing work makes the world run. It's worth being proud of. One of my dad's favorite sayings is, "Son, some of the happiest people in the world come home from work smelling like hogs and dirty enough to match. Hard work is good for your soul." <Paraphrasing there, dad. Hope you don't mind.>

So, celebrating work is a great idea. I truly wish we did more of that. It seems like all of our entertainment these days celebrates the opposite, and ridicules those who are happy to work hard and earn a living. Find something to be proud about in your present work, and I'll guarantee you that you'll be happy to do it afterward. I think hard workers should be among our greatest heroes. Whatever happened to posters such as  "Rosie the Riveter" (a World War 2 reference, if you didn't know). Honor our workers! Make Labor Day matter at a whole new level.

"Rosie the Riveter," the iconic woman who symbolized all the women workers during the WWII war effort.

- M