While technically summer doesn’t end until the autumnal equinox on September 23rd, this weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. The new school year is looming on the horizon (though judging by the influx of back to school photos on my social media feeds, some may have already started) and folks are getting in last minute vacations before it’s back to business as usual come September 3rd. But let’s face it: summer is over. It’s time to light up that BBQ, raise that drink and wave goodbye to summer.
I’m not trying to rain on your parade the Friday before a long weekend. As sad as summer ending sounds, let us not forget the meaning of the day. Labor Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the achievements of the worker. It was established on June 28, 1894 when President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September a national holiday. By then, 23 states were already celebrating it. But Labor Day’s origin goes back to Toronto in 1872, when the Typographical Union held a strike demanding a 9-hour workday. That strike became known as the “Nine Hour Movement” and that movement helped launch a similar one in the United States.
We have come a long way since then. Today the conversation is about flexibility, work life integration, pay equity, a sense of purpose and corporate culture, all good things.
So, as we toast summer goodbye, Sanjay and I would also like to personally toast our clients, partners, and associates here at J2, without whom our success would not be possible and certainly not as meaningful. CHEERS!
“A truly American sentiment recognizes the dignity of labor and the fact that honor lies in honest toil.” – Grover Cleveland
Have a great weekend.
Vijay
Great post. I used to feel that the end of summer was sad. I always looked back with regret, feeling that I didn’t do enough fun stuff. But then I came up with a theory. We were conditioned as children to look forward to “summer vacation.” Our culture bombards us with marketing images of people having fun frolicking on the beach. But as adults, it’s really no different than the rest of the year. Business doesn’t even slow down much anymore. Let’s be honest, the hot and humid weather is often miserable, unless we’re at the beach or in the pool; it forces us inside, no different than in the winter. Except for a week or two of vacation, our free time is mostly limited to weekends. Now this is not meant to be an indictment of summer, it is just to say there’s no reason to be sad about it coming to an end. If summer fun is mostly limited to weekends, well we’ll continue to have those the rest of the year too.
I have actually come to enjoy the fall more than summer. I love the crisp days, the foliage, the seasonal food, beer, pumpkin and apple picking, hayrides, not to mention the start of football season and the baseball playoffs. I love the feeling of getting back down to business with renewed energy, focus and enthusiasm – it’s like “back to school” for adults, more of a fresh start than even New Year’s. Time to finish out the year strong and build plans for next year. And as the kids go back to school, and the days grow shorter and colder, there’s no longer a feeling that we’re missing out on other things we’re “supposed” to be doing during the summer!