When we think of all the products and services we purchase, how many people have to work hard to bring us those things?
How many of us is one of those hard-working people? What feels important about this?
“Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers.” (U.S. Dept. of Labor,https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history, 2021)
Why might celebrating American workers today feel necessary?
We work hard every day and recognize those efforts on this one day each year. Why might we do this?
On Labor Day, we’re celebrating the efforts and interdependence essential to providing the things we utilize every day and more.
Interdependence is ‘the quality or condition of mutually relying on someone or something else’. (Dictionary.com).
“Everything we depend on for our well-being and happiness itself depends on an extended network of other people and things stretching ever outward.”, (CIT Manual, p 130, 2018)
Let’s take an everyday item many of us may use as an example. When we buy a container of juice, might we ever consider how many people it takes for us to be able to acquire that item? Let’s look at a list of a modest group of people down the line required to provide the container of juice we may buy:
| Cashiers at checkout. | 7. Drivers to transport fruit to the juicing plant |
| Market employees display products for customers. | 8. Employees to collect & package fruit |
| Drivers transporting cartons of juice to markets. | 9. Water supplier |
| Assembly line workers prep cartons for shipping | 10. Suppliers providing seedlings & nutrients for fruit trees |
| Assembly line workers -Package juice in the containers | 11. Companies providing farming equipment and supply companies |
| Employees monitoring juicing process | 12. Farmers |
That’s a minimum of 12 groups of people extending ever outward. How many more groups of people may there be in each of these assemblies of workforces.
How many different groups of workers might there be in total to make a carton of juice available at the store for us to buy?
It may almost seem impossible to count because the amount may seem endless. We probably can’t imagine the number of people we ‘d add as we consider the multiple industries that come together to provide all the necessary supplies needed to produce a product or provide services.
Maybe that’s why we celebrate Labor Day. We’re celebrating everyone’s contribution to the provisions it takes for us to acquire what we want.
As we think about how we’ll party on the holiday this year, whether many of us may merely be looking forward to a day of rest, planning to take a long weekend away, or engage in a traditional barbecue to also acknowledge the end of summer; let’s take a moment to truly honor all the American workers who labor every day of the year regardless of what they do.
The next time we go to a store to buy our juice, order it online for delivery, or even ask for it at a restaurant, how might we want to acknowledge those who made it possible for us to have it? What feels relevant about this?
If we contemplate the effort we put forth at work and home, how else might we want to celebrate Labor Day for ourselves? What feels significant about this?
We’ve already established that Labor Day is always on the first Monday of September and “ME” Monday® is every Monday of every month!
So, as we feel grateful for all the people who have worked so hard on all levels of commerce to provide us with what we use every day, let’s plan something additional on this extra special “ME” Monday® to celebrate our daily efforts.
By implementing a “ME” Monday® routine today, we can improve our overall ROI to have a great today and determine the tomorrow we deserve!