Labor Day

Labor Day is one of those holidays that emits mixed emotions from me. The holiday was created to recognize the workers of America. Because my birthday is so close to the holiday, I used to think it was also a day to recognize the mothers in America...going through labor and all before giving birth. :-) For many people it also marks the end of summer and the last day to wear white shoes and linen attire.

My first recollection of Labor Day was when I was five years old. You see, school started about the 3rd week in August and because I wasn't six years old, I wasn't old enough to start school. However, the nuns decided to give me a test to see if I had the skills to start school at the age of five. Puhleeeeze! My sixth birthday was just going to be a few weeks later.

Anywho, I passed the test. There were a few others in my first grade class that were in the same predicament. Turns out, three of us went through 12 years of school together and of the three of us, two of us also graduated from college together...yep, sixteen years of being together.

OK. So back to Labor Day. So here we are a couple of weeks into school and now we get a day off. I didn't like 1st grade so I welcomed the holiday but I also dreaded going back. This dread continued all through my school years.

I also associate Labor Day with Jerry Lewis and the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. This isn't meant to sound mean but it always bothered me that he would trot the kids out on his show and pull at the heartstrings of Americans to donate money. And then he would end the show by singing You'll Never Walk Alone. Most of the time he couldn't finish the song and would have to leave the stage. I would sit there and wonder if this was going to be the year he could actually finish the song?

I also used to associate Labor Day with the start of the new television season! The season premiers started the first week in September; that has since changed.

And speaking of things changing, the Miss America Pageant is no longer held during the week of Labor Day. Like clockwork you could always count on the new Miss America being crowned the Saturday after Labor Day. And just as you can bet on the sun rising, you could bet on me sitting in front of the telly waiting to see who would be crowned the new Miss America.

SIDEBAR: The pageant was actually started as a gimmick to keep tourists in Atlantic City on the Boardwalk for a few extra days. At some point they moved it to later in September and then to a completely different month.

As time went on and I became a laborer, I did appreciate the holiday. For a few years, I would venture over to New Orleans for the festivities. I haven't done that in awhile.

At my former place of employment we would have the annual sales meeting starting the day after Labor Day. Once again, I started to dread the holiday because that meant I had to spend all day Monday getting ready to be gone for the rest of the week. Then when I took ownership of Calvin, it meant that I had to figure out what to do with him before I left for the week.

So this Labor Day is sorta odd because I have no feelings about it. I have The Calvinator by my side and I don't have to worry about what to do with him.

RunnerOne wanted to go for a run this morning. At first I was going to say "No" because it was a holiday but then I remembered that all summer has been a holiday for me. :-) I also almost said "No" because I thought about doing a 5K today. I had read on Will Run For Martinis and Run 4 Your Life" that they were doing the 5K and since I already feel like a slacker I thought the 5K might be a good motivator.

As it turns out, we did a good 3 miles this morning at Memorial Park. It was quiet. I stopped by the office and read the paper. Because I got out of bed this morning and went running, I rewarded myself with a chocolate donut. LOL

Not sure what is in store for the rest of the day. It is supposed to rain later...go figure...so I'll probably plan some indoor chores for this afternoon.

Take care and enjoy your day.