labor day is the rodney dangerfield of major american holidays. poor labor day.
labor day, like its summer companions, memorial day and the fourth of july, is strong on cookouts and picnics, but unlike its companions, there's no thrilling patriotism associated with it. when was the last time your heart beat fast on the first monday of september?
whereas memorial day means the beginning of summer and the fourth of july means we're right smack dab in the middle of it, labor day means it's over. and it's time to get back to........well........labor.
in many parts of the country, the grass is brown and burned up. the air is thick with humidity. everybody is eager to put on a sweatshirt but you can't - or else you'd.......well.......sweat.
no other holiday - major or otherwise - is associated with illness, but labor day is. back in the day, jerry lewis and his muscular dystrophy telethon was practically the centerpiece of the holiday. i haven't watched the telethon in years but i understand that it is a ghost of its former self.
poor labor day.
more communities have memorial day and fourth of july parades than they have labor day ones. nobody lets off firecrackers. even the potato salad seems kinda tired by now.
and to top it all off - everybody has to go back to work tomorrow.
no, labor day doesn't get much respect. but it should. when you think about it, labor day is where the rubber of life really meets the road. labor day is what life is all about.
it's the place between the high and the low places. it's ordinary. in other words,
it's life. real life. and what a celebration that is.
now.......pass the potato salad.
