Labor Day Should Be Re-named Leisure Day

It's nice to get a Monday off, to start a week on Tuesday and already be so close to Wednesday, Hump Day. According to the New York Times, "All the studies say that no one works harder than Americans do." The Times continues, "it is both the natural response to the land of opportunity and the cost of living in such a material culture. For most of us, it’s easier just to go on working, caught up in the familiar day-to-day rhythms, than it is to take a real vacation. The routine of work becomes the bedrock of our lives, the substance of who we are." That scares me.

I've inherited a good share of my immigrant parents' strong work ethic. I take pride in a job well done, and believe in putting 100% of my effort into the task at hand. I also believe in living a more balanced life than my parents have, putting 100% of my focus on enjoying my time when I'm not at work. Separating work from my personal life is very important to me. To me that means not bringing work stress home or into my personal relationships;, not being constantly "plugged in" by a Blackberry or whatever new technology is available to allow us to work from anywhere, any time; not bringing personal issues or stress into the office; and making sure that I use my vacation time completely, both in terms of using the time and using it well by freeing myself of work concerns while I'm away.

As much as my boss would love for me to check my email every day from Waikiki - and I tried it - I have to say I won't do it again as it doesn't feel like a vacation when I'm mentally back in the office. The main purpose of a vacation, when one has an office job like I do, is getting away mentally.

And lately, I noticed that I have a hard time doing so. Maybe my boss would see this as a sign of my evolved commitment to my job. I see it as a worrisome sign that I am becoming one of the multitudes of workaholic drones who not only spend most of their waking hours at work, but have lost sight of what life is really about. It's one thing to work hard and to appreciate that I have a job to do. It's another not to be able to relax on my time off.

To remind myself of my priorities, I think of Maya Angelou's words of wisdom, "I've learned that making a 'living' isn't the same as making a 'life'." It's a good thing to think about this day of leisure.