Today is Labor Day, a day to celebrate the economic and social contributions of workers. As a child, Labor Day was the last holiday of the summer, the last hurrah before returning to school, the last day to wear white shoes. Unfortunately, it has become the second largest sales day with Black Friday taking the lead. Since 24% of all jobs in the United States are in retail, a fourth of our nation will not be able to participate in festivities honoring their achievement. Conversely, potentially three-quarters of Americans are contributing economically by participating in these sales.
I feel that this change that has crept into our society is not to our benefit. One thing that I learned while on the Camino, was the importance of taking time to contemplate and be present. When a holiday becomes a sales frenzy, people are not partaking in the opportunity to relax and reflect, to honor themselves and their contributions, or to enjoy a day of relaxation—without labor and with causing someone else to labor.
Let us celebrate today in the spirit of my childhood. Let’s enjoy each other and forego the “Labor Day Sales.” Let’s make this world, or a least our personal “world”, a better place.
Have a wonderfully relaxing, contemplative day!
