How to Observe Labor Day

When New York machinist Mathew Maguire led 20,000 Knights of Labor up Broadway on September 5, 1882, he probably never imagined that his dream of honoring the American working man would evolve into the last big fling of summer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Barbecue Tongs
• Barbecue Sauces
• Barbecue Grills
• résumé software

1. Have a good old-fashioned last fling. Take yourself, your family and friends to your town's parade. Then go home, or to your favorite park, and stage the biggest, best barbecue of the summer.
2. Sit down after your fling and give some thought to labor - especially yours.
3. Start doing something about that career change you've been pondering. Schedule some informational interviews, or sign up for a class in your chosen endeavor.
4. Find some direction if your thoughts are still vague. Make an appointment with a counselor, organize a brainstorming session with like-minded friends, or just gather up a few good books on fields that interest you.
5. Take some time to appreciate your work if you enjoy what you do, and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
6. Go out and find yourself a hobby if you think you like your work a little too much. Look for balance. And remember the words on one Mathew Maguire banner: "Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest, Eight Hours for Recreation!"

Tips & Warnings

• Though there's no doubt that Mathew Maguire organized the first Labor Day parade, not everyone agrees that the holiday was his brainchild. Some sources claim that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, first proposed a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."
• Regardless of the holiday's origins, official Labor Day celebrations soon caught on nationwide. Cities began passing municipal ordinances in 1885, with state legislatures following close behind. Finally, in 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September a permanent legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.