Labor Day

I imagine there is little in this world that is more pleasing than getting a day off without worrying about using one's Paid Time Off or being concerned about the number of messages in one's inbox and voicemail box or feeling guilty because even though one gets vacation days, doesn't one still feel a little selfish at times for taking time off knowing others are at work picking up the slack for your not being there?

Enter Labor Day (and other federal holidays). For about nine to eleven days out of the year, depending upon your employer, you don't have to worry about such minutiae. Instead, the vast majority of 9-to-5ers are off as well and you can just enjoy sleeping till 10 am (thank you Newt, for not waking me up), catching up on your reading (I went through, like, ten People Magazines and Entertainment Weekly's in about fifteen minutes), and enjoying lunch out without having to fit it into a thirty-minute window (if you can find a place open -- some eating establishments also observe Federal Holidays -- specifically the Vietnamese Restaurant we like to frequent. Odd.).

As the evening approaches, and the sun begins to set, the feeling of work on Tuesday may seem a little less-than-thrilling. But, knowing that Monday is really Tuesday should lighten the gloomy Sunday-evening feeling a little, right? My usual Subway-lunch run that I take on Tuesdays will be even more awesome tomorrow because it will feel like a Monday and I'll pretend I'm being all maverick-ey. My Tuesday updates will be even more interesting because we can first discuss our Labor Day events which will distract the other participants from the four-page agenda I will have distributed showing what needs to be discussed. And my post-work TV time will be even more enjoyable because, instead of thinking I have two nights between me and some quality time with NeNe, Kim, Lisa, Kandi, and Sheree, I will actually have only one!

Yes, summer may be theoretically over, but at least we get a day off to deal with it. I am grateful to live in a country that bookends summer with two long weekends for our personal use. So whether you are anticipating Columbus Day, Veterans Day, or, like me, holding out for Thanksgiving, I say to you still, God bless America!