Flashback Friday

Posted originally 6 years ago.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

I'm posting this on Friday instead of Monday so you can accomplish as many of these as you can for your 3 days off.

I don't know what to make of this weekend anymore.  We all approve of jobs and the labor that goes into those jobs.  We all want everyone to work if they so desire.  But the meaning of Labor Day itself seems to have faded into the dustbin of history.  Labor, or rather labor Unions are out of fashion.  Southern states have their right-to-work laws and we know that in some respects unions killed off Detroit and to a degree G-Burg.  

Having never been a union worker, and having been in management that fought unionization of the 9th Judicial Circuit, I may be slanted.  Ask a union guy who worked at Keystone Wire and they would practically lay down and die if need be to preserve their union life.  

We know unions were instrumental in ridding the country of the scourge of child labor, and helped integrate black workers into the work force, and led the fight for women in the factories.  We also know they were hotbeds for corruption and criminal activities. Let's just celebrate our Unions for the good they accomplished, and if you are working, then give thanks for your labor, and the paycheck that follows.  If retired, then thank the job, or jobs, that made your retirement possible.    

Again, I don't know.  This is what I do know:  50 fun things to do this weekend.

1. call the kids and say hello
2. take a bike ride (motorized or not) 
3. cook out
4. take a drive in the country
5. work on those home projects
6. go to a car show
7. sit in the shade with a cold one or a Bloody Mary
8. stay inside, and cuddle up with a good book
9. take a nap
10. make homemade ice cream
11. call the parents and say hello
12. go out to your favorite restaurant
13. take a walk at the park
14. find a friend
15. watch a marathon of Breaking Bad, or Lawrence of Arabia
16. garden
17. install accent lights outside the house
18. clean out the gutters
19. unclutter the garage
20. plant a tree
21. call a friend
22. go through your closet and get rid of stuff you haven't worn in 3 years 
23. get tickets on Allegiant and come see me
24. go to the cemetery and remember (take a flower and place on a stranger's plot)
25. play catch with your kid
26. take your best 4 legged buddy for a walk
27. kiss your spouse
28. better yet, kiss your best 4 legged buddy
29. go to a movie
30. buy some artist paints and dabble
31. sit in the porch and watch life go by
32. watch a baseball game
33. get signed up for fantasy football
34. play golf
35. visit a friend in a nursing home
36. go shopping
37. go see a parade
38. go to a fast food joint and tip the person at the counter
39. attend church services
40. paint a room
41. do something wild and spontaneous (I swear, you'll remember it always)
42. go have a Jerry's (Mt. Pleasant) or Davis Bros pizza (Peoria)
43. get frisky (yeah, you know what I mean)
44. clean the house
45. buy a camera and use it
46. start a blog
47. start an online savings account
48. write a letter to someone
49. refinish that oak box that has been sitting in the attic for years
50. find some friends and go to a bar 

Bonus Points (updated yesterday)

51.  set your alarm for 4 am, put your flip-flops on and go streaking around your house (no, your neighbors won't see you. no, you won't get arrested.  Yes, you'll smile about it all day)

52.  write down on index cards four or five wonderful things that have happened to you in your life.  Then have someone video you talking extemporaneously about them on your phone or camera.  Then transfer it to a flash drive and tuck it away with your valuables.  When you are gone your family will treasure it.