Maine news, sports, weather from Waterville Morning Sentinel

AMY CALDER: Work, work, work

BY AMY CALDER, Columnist

To all of you who work, enjoy the three-day weekend.

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You've earned it, both literally and figuratively.

You've dragged yourselves out of bed day after day to contribute your skills, labors and know-how to the world of work.

No matter the weather or the circumstance, you've persisted.

When it's 20 below zero, you've thrown on extra layers to brave the winter cold, wrangled with engines that won't start, scraped many a windshield of thick ice and maneuvered treacherous roads to get to work.

On hot summer days when you'd rather be diving into a cool lake, you head out into the oppressive heat to work instead of play.

There have been days you've felt sick, tired, depressed, weary of the routine, when the last thing you want to do is go to work, but you do it anyway.

You put on your best face, and dive in.

In essence, you sacrifice many hours of your life to feed, clothe and shelter your families and yourselves -- and advance the cause of someone else if you're not self-employed.

You are farmers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, janitors, restaurant workers. You clerk, drive truck, build, clean, scrub, coach, sew, garden and raise kids.

While the rest of the world sleeps, you're out keeping the peace, fighting fires, rushing the sick to the hospital.

You're paving the streets or plowing snow so the rest of us can get to work.

On Monday, Labor Day, give yourselves a pat on the back. Have a favorite meal, kick back. Relax.

You deserve it.

Labor Day is your day. It's a federal holiday honoring and recognizing you for your hard work.

The first Labor Day was Sept. 5, 1882. The Central Labor Union wanted a day to recognize worker's contributions to the economic well-being of the country.

Held the first Monday in September, Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894.

For many of us, Labor Day also signifies the end of the summer season, the start of school, routine, and the impending arrival of fall and winter.

In some ways, it is the start of the serious season, the trickling away of carefree days.

Hard work, interspersed with that necessary down time, is good.

It gives us a sense of purpose, of being part of something larger, of helping the world prosper.

There is an old adage that work is the cure-all for many of life's ills.

That if your marriage fails, work.

If you are depressed, work.

If you are sick, work.

If your confidence fails, work.

And, ironically, if you lose your job, work.

Somehow, work makes us right again. It gives us structure, discipline, self-worth, reward.

On Monday, congratulate yourselves for all you do.

Do something fun. Make a meal and invite your friends. Take some of your hard-earned cash and buy something you want. Buy something your family wants.

And most of all, be happy that you work.

For, as they say, the only thing worse than having a job is not having one.

Amy Calder has been a Sentinel reporter 22 years. Her column appears here Saturdays. She may be reached at acalder@centralmaine.com.