Laboring on Labor Day

I honestly can’t remember the last time we did anything fun on Labor Day. This year is no exception. As I lamented last week, we are in the process of moving. The packers came for day 1 on Friday so about 50% of our household is packed away in boxes. The other 50% is a mess. This weekend has been dedicated to laboring, specifically organizing for the move. Thankfully, by the end of this week, moving should be complete.

Convenient excuse for this year, but I believe the problem is much deeper rooted. I’ve blogged previously about our family’s general withdrawal from vacations and family time. Labor Day vacations have been on the decline for a long time now. Part of it may be our geographic location. I’ve noticed nowadays it’s just unbearably hot around the first weekend in September. Seems like when I was a kid, Labor Day weather was near perfect.

But I know it’s not the weather or the work that is keeping us from enjoying Labor Day as it’s meant to be…it’s me. I’ve got to stop this trend. I feel a resolution coming! This is not to say we aren’t happy. As I mentioned last week, moving into our new home has us all pretty stoked. For the first time in a long time, we’ve got something all four of us are happy about.

That being said, I want to get our family back on track to valuing vacations, even the weekend getaways we used to take, again. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a hundred times, vacations are when families bond the best. We’ve been missing that and I know I am the one to fix it. Beyond just taking the step of planning a trip and making reservations, I know I need to fundamentally change where my mind is right now about work.

Perhaps I am compensating for leaving the 24/7, full contact profession that is the Army. Since becoming a civilian again, I feel like I’ve immersed myself in my work, side hustle and hobbies, maybe a little too much. Perhaps it’s time to recalibrate. Just because I’ve got more “free” time doesn’t mean I have to fill it with something. Or more accurately it doesn’t have to be filled with work, side hustle or a hobby.

Of course, there are some hearts and minds to win over when it comes to planning getaways. With 19- and 16-year-old sons that is easier said than done. Thankfully, they will still pretty much do what I tell them to albeit begrudgingly. I know the time is coming when any “control” I may exert over their free time will be gone. Then it will be up to the wife and I to getaway. Logistically easier, but still a lot some festering complications to overcome.

I am up for the challenge! Hopefully the remainder of this year and 2024’s blogs will be full of “living” themed stories about fun family trips. I have a feeling I’m not the only one who’s got this part of living out of whack. I see a lot of folks around me laboring on Labor Day. Maybe it’s time to get back to basics and let the labor wait for a while.

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The views, opinions and biases expressed in this blog are the authors and do not reflect those of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense.

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