There is good in the work that we do

"Now you say that the answer's within ourselves

And that time is a wish come true

And no matter how troubled the toiling seems

There is good in the work that we do."

- Bill Staines, "Philosopher's Song"

Unless you're born into considerable wealth, or maybe you win the Powerball or something, you are likely going to spend half or more of your life working for a living.

This is traditionally seen as somewhat of a curse, even in a Judeo-Christian society in which a strong work ethic is celebrated. It likely has some connection to God's words to Adam in Genesis 3:19 - "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

How you view work also depends heavily on how much you like your job, of course. I happen to like my job quite a bit. I get to work with good people and do some interesting (interesting to me, anyway) stuff.

But if I had my druthers – and maybe your druthers, too – would I choose to continue working as a communications director for an advanced materials manufacturing company?

Of course not. I would do things about which I'm more passionate and from which I derive some higher level of satisfaction and enjoyment.

But it turns out reading World War I books and PA announcing and all the other things I like to do in my spare time don't generate much of an income. And income is what we need to put food on the table and pay our bills.

So off to work we go, usually five days a week.

That doesn't mean work has to be seen as a bad thing, though. Hard work does build character, as cliche as that sounds. It's the primary way many of us contribute to society. And it builds structure and satisfaction into our lives in ways that might otherwise be lacking.

Whatever your personal definition of "work" (inside or outside the home, full or part time, you're a student, etc.), this Labor Day is a good time to celebrate yourself. You put in a lot of time and effort, and you should feel good about that.

I hope you take a moment today to step back and appreciate all you've accomplished along the way in your career, and all you will accomplish. Even if you see work as a necessary evil, there is something good there that makes you better for having done it.

Happy Labor Day, my fellow laborers.

(NOTE: For a somewhat different perspective on this topic, check out this excellent blog post by my friend Peter Vertes.)

When I was growing up, this was about the time we would get out of school

It was only when I became a parent that I realized how amazingly short our kids' summer break from school really was.

At least in our district (though I think this is common), they don't even have 12 full weeks off before they're right back in the classroom.

Not that I think there's anything wrong with that, by the way. Indeed, during my time working with The Cleveland Foundation, I came to see some advantages to having year-round school with extended breaks between quarters/semesters.

It's just that, when I was a kid, summer vacation seemed to go on forever. It was great. We would get out in mid-June and not be back until after Labor Day.

I don't remember a single summer ever flying by or seeming too short, which may suggest that my friends and I did it right and made the most of our vacation time.

Later on as a parent, however, those 11 1/2 weeks would fly by in an instant. That's probably a function of time in general passing more quickly once you become an adult, but I could never reconcile the fleeting nature of my kids' summer vacations with the seemingly longer breaks I had as a kid.

In any event, as today's headline suggests, this is about the time of year in the 1970s and 80s when we would have our last day of school. That seems quaint now because, as far as I know, no local school district has been in session for at least a week, and many for longer than that. The kids almost universally get out in mid/late May or early June these days.

I don't know that that's any better or worse than the way we did it in my youth, it's just different.

Even with my kids grown, I still can't get used to it.

I wish school didn't start so early, but I get why it does

At the risk of turning this into a "BACK IN MY DAY" old man rant, I will point out that my youngest two children go back to school tomorrow, which is a full three weeks earlier than they would have returned using the system under which I grew up.

That system – also known as "The Right System" – dictated that school didn't start until right after Labor Day. Which meant that the month of August was entirely devoted to summer vacation unless you were a fall sport athlete who had practices in August. And that was perfectly fine.

Then, round about the time I was in high school in the mid- to late 80s, they pushed the start of school back into August. It was late August, mind you, but still...August. That took some getting used to.

And now it seems every year they just keep messing with us. More for their own amusement than anything else, they keep seeing how far they can move up that first day of school before someone starts to notice. This year, Day #1 is August 15th, which as far as I can tell is the earliest the school year has ever kicked off in Wickliffe.

I will readily note that school has started in early August in Florida and other southern states for years. That's what they're used to, so they don't count in this discussion.

We in the Midwest lived for decades under an academic calendar that didn't commence until the Labor Day picnics were over, and that always seemed like a good way to go at it. At least to me. Labor Day was your last hurrah. As I recall, it was the last weekend during which the city pools were open. Or at least the last weekend they were open under summer hours.

You would watch the Jerry Lewis telethon on Labor Day and then you would go back to school the very next day, or maybe on Wednesday of that week. We were all good with it.

Of course, having said all of this, I realize school districts are subject to forces they can't necessarily control in making this decision, chiefly the state testing schedule that requires you (or at least makes it a very, very good idea) to have a certain number of instructional hours before the dreaded tests begin. The earlier you start, the longer you have to work with the kids before they take the tests, which go a long way toward determining your district's grade on state report cards, teacher and administration performance reviews, funding, etc.

Plus, at the high school level, an earlier start allows a clean break between the first and second semesters. You can finish off first-semester exams before the kids go off for their holiday break, and then start fresh with second-semester classes and material in January.

On the other hand, we somehow for years managed the not-quite-so-clean process of January review and exams at Wickliffe, and I'm guessing we could somehow get through it again if a calendar switch would force us into it.

I always think twice before I criticize school board members and administrators, because I frankly find that most of the people who do that do it out of ignorance. I would like some of them to spend a day in those jobs before they spout off. That's not to say people in those positions are beyond criticism. Not at all. But having the facts in hand first is probably advisable.

In any case, like so many things in life, this whole start-of-school question comes down to this: I wish it wasn't this way, but I get why it is. Things change. Life goes on. You can all get off my lawn anyway.

It's Labor Day and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do

There are plenty of holidays that we as Americans should properly observe but don't.

I mean, we take full advantage of the ones that offer a day off from work, but as a people we don't do a good job of reflecting on the reasons for those holidays. Memorial Day is one example. Flag Day is another. Veterans Day is yet another.

And I suppose that today's holiday, Labor Day, is another. Except that for those other holidays I mentioned, I at least know what's being celebrated and what I should think about/pay tribute to in order to get the full intended effect.

But Labor Day? It's a celebration of the American labor movement and, presumably, American workers themselves. In a sense, every one of us is an American worker, so do I just go around shaking the hands of every person I meet and thanking them for, uh, working?

I don't know what I should be doing today so that, by the time I go to bed tonight, I can say, "Yes, I celebrated Labor Day today. I celebrated the bejeebers out of it."

So I'll just...work, I guess. Work around the house, I mean. Then I'll celebrate my own working achievements with a glass of wine or something.

That's as close to labor as I'm going to get today, folks.

September: The most deceiving month (along with March)

Happy Labor Day! It's one of those holidays where almost no one gives any real thought to the meaning of it. So get out there and, uh, celebrate.

The most significant thing about Labor Day is that it signifies the arrival of September. And I always start out loving September because there's a part of me that thinks fall is finally here.

Which is patently false, of course. Summer doesn't end until September is 2/3rds over, and around here in Northeast Ohio, summer does sometimes tend to hang on for dear life.

Which is kind of a ripoff, because I like the fall. A lot. I like the temperatures, I like the scenery, and I like the feel in the air.

But the first few weeks of September are almost always a lot like the last few weeks in August - summery. So I end up disappointed because, by this point, I'm kind of ready for summer to be over.

I actually spend a good chunk of the year in that state. When it's winter, I want it to be spring. When it's spring, I'm ready for the warmth of summer. And by the time summer is two months old, I'm ready for changing leaves, high school football games, and 50 degrees on the thermometer.

The only time I really don't look forward to the change of seasons is the fall-to-winter transition. That one can take its time, as far as I'm concerned. Yes, I do actually like the snow, but I like it in small, controlled doses.

And there are quite often times in my neck of the woods when the snowfall is neither "small" nor "controlled."

People around here tend to hate March most of all, because March is the ultimate tease. Yes, spring starts in March, but much like September, it makes you wait those extra few weeks before making it official.

We've had some of our worst blizzards in March, and those are just demoralizing. After weeks and weeks of battling ice and shoveling snow, you're ready for something warmer than 35 degrees, and March only gives it to you in frustratingly tiny sneak peeks.

If it weren't for the fact that we have so many March birthdays in my family, I would be all for eliminating it from the calendar altogether.

I'm writing this post a good two weeks in advance, so I have no idea what the weather will be like when you're reading this. But if it's sunny and 85 degrees, you can bet I'll be spending the day indoors with the air conditioning cranked up and wearing a sweater, pretending it's late October. I can dream.