LABOR DAY

It hasn't been so many years ago that the goal of every red-blooded American working man and woman was to retire as early as possible and enjoy the life of leisure they felt they so richly deserved. Many dreamed of retiring at 55, and many did just that, while others had to make it to 60 or 65, but knew when that day came, their lifestyle was going to change and they would be forever free to do whatever whenever they pleased.

That mind-set has changed in recent years and I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. Many people in their sixties and even seventies are choosing to continue to work rather than retire. Yes, many have found that their "nest egg" isn't feathered as well as they thought it might be and may actually need to continue for purely economic reasons.

But, many have discovered that continuing to work is actually good for them physically, mentally and emotionally. Too much leisure time is not always a good thing, even when it is seen as well-deserved. When you are still healthy and capable of working, there is great satisfaction in being productive and enjoying that feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. Doing that job, solving problems, meeting deadlines, and being able to gripe about the boss and the workload is all part of that mental stimuation that helps to keep our brains young.

We are living longer . . . often into our nineties and when we retire at 60 or 65, that means we may have close to thirty years of leisure? Of course, there are a million ways to keep busy with volunteer opportunities all over this country, and those activities are satisfying as well. But I doubt they provide the stimulation and satisfaction that actually working for a paycheck does.

Anyway, on this Labor Day, 2009, I salute all you laborers out there and I thank God that I have a job to go to and a brain that is still functioning at 68. And to all of you who have lost your jobs because of the economic situation, my heart goes out to you and I pray that this country will soon be turned around and you will be back to productive and satisfying work.