How to Have the Best Labor Day Ever

Labor Day – that beautiful holiday in early September on one of the last summer weekends of the year that’s devoted to all of us in the American workforce.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, this holiday is “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers,” and it “constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” Basically, it’s a holiday for us govies because we’re awesome and the work we do is worthwhile and important to our country.

So, give yourself a pat on the back, kick back, and use the following tips to make the most of your Labor Day holiday weekend.  I hope that we will come back to work next week refreshed and refueled to continue the important work we do for America each and every day.

Live Local: Find and enjoy a local parade, festival, or event with friends or family.  Appreciate the unique and interesting things offered by your city or town and try that new restaurant/museum/art gallery/event that you’ve wanted to do for a while.

Readers are leaders: Start or catch up on your reading list.  Don’t know where to start? Try checking out this fun list of books about real-life workers and labor events to get some perspective.

Embrace the outdoors:  Make the most of your time away from the office and experience a change of scenery and outlook by visiting a national park over the holiday weekend.  Click here to find your nearest national park.

Be thankful: Take some time this weekend to appreciate the fact that you have a job (as of July Bureau of Labor statistics, the unemployment rate was at 5.3%). I like to keep a list of things I am thankful for, so that even in the most difficult situations, I can be reminded of all the good things in my life.  Whether you prefer to journal, make a note in your phone, or keep a running list on a legal pad at work, start your own list of gratefulness and you just may be surprised at the impact it has on your outlook.  Take your thankfulness a step further this holiday weekend and write your friend/colleague/boss/family member a hand-written note thanking him or her for something they have done/said for you recently.

Here’s to the best Labor Day holiday weekend ever! I’m off to spend some quality time with my family…

In the comments below, please share some of your Labor Day weekend plans to refresh and refuel.

Christina Smith is part of the GovLoop Featured Blogger program, where we feature blog posts by government voices from all across the country (and world!). To see more Featured Blogger posts, click here.