We’re better off now, right?

Now that our Labor Day holiday weekend is over, we can set our calendars and sights on the next celebration or three-day weekend. Hopefully, you had a relaxing and fun weekend or both. I labored - in the heat - but I'm not complaining.

It was a very rare thing back in the 19th century to experience a three-day holiday weekend. First up, there was no such thing as a "weekend". As I describe in my book, "Oh! Susannah", folks back then worked six days a week and rested on the Sabbath, as the Good Book says. By the late 1800's, men were "given" half of their Saturday off, but their pay was docked because of it. It took labor laws and a huge pivot of mindset in the 20th century to get people's heads around the idea of a "weekend". And now we're talking about three-day weekends?

Same goes for general celebratory events in the 19th century, ones we take for granted, like our birthday. I had a lot of fun writing Chapter 15 - "An Occasion To Celebrate". It was Susannah's 30th birthday - June 30, 1861. This day fell on a Sunday. The Sunday before Independence Day, which was a "holiday" few back then celebrated either, only activists pushing their particular cause. I chose this day to be a special one for Susannah. All the family gathered to celebrate her birthday and acknowledge our country's anniversary of independence. Susannah's cherished friend, Druscilla, ditches the Mother Hubbard outfit that Susannah normally wore, in exchange for a get up nothing short of what Cinderella would've been proud to be seen in at the ball.

For a moment, think of all the "holidays" we observe throughout the year. Isn't nearly every other day a "National _____ (fill in the blank) Day" here in the United States? And, days when we are not expected at work, are in addition to the ones we spend on vacation. Needless to say, "vacation" for those in rural 19th century Ohio was a totally foreign concept that would've drawn blank stares from those whom you would've been trying to explain it to. It wasn't that people back then had no time off for leisure or pleasure. I specifically chose to highlight celebrations like a 'barn raising", the annual agricultural fair, and the occasions when the circus came to town, in my historical fiction to offset the people's otherwise dour existence. And, I'm really looking forward to addressing the Lion Club members in Massillon, Ohio next week with a presentation on how people did celebrate these few "holidays" back then.

So, we're better off now, right?

Let's think about how casual we have become with all of the leisure time afforded us today. How many Americans can tell you why we even have "Labor Day" as a holiday? Personally, I'm learning that with less there is more; less purchases - more room to move about the house/basement/garage, less busy-ness equals more quality time, less stress - more peace. Which brings me to the question, how precious would our leisure and pleasure time be to us if we could only choose three occasions throughout a year to celebrate them?

I'm not advocating the removal of our three-day weekends, just asking questions of how thankful are we for them?

Let me know your thoughts and opinions. I'd love to hear what you think on this topic and for more about my book, "Oh! Susannah", visit www.beckleysbooks.com https://constitutioncenter.org/amp/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about-the-labor-day-holiday?fbclid=IwAR0Tmk_mUzcX-CZEtG0uk3nMyIOkpCYupJ-av98hOeSv9_bMtbHN5FF2wXI