To many Westporters, Labor Day is a nice holiday.
We can grill, go to the beach, enjoy a relaxing Monday.
But those are perks many of us already enjoy.
Most residents here are not “labor.”
We’re management. Business owners. CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CTOs, CIOs.
We’re entrepreneurs. Consultants. Freelancers. Bloggers.
We work hard. Many of us put in far more than 40 hours a week. Many of us work on weekends (and holidays).
For some Westporters, this is a day at the office.
Yet still, our time is largely our own.
We don’t have a set schedule. We don’t “clock in,” or fill out time sheets.
Importantly, we’re not limited to 2 weeks’ vacation a year (plus holidays).
If we want to spend an afternoon at a charity golf tournament, leave on Friday for our kid’s soccer tournament, or take a morning yoga class at the Y, we do it.
Like many Americans, we have family responsibilities — caring for an elderly parent, picking up a sick child at school, taking the dog to the vet — along with our own eye exams, root canals and therapist appointments.
It’s not easy. Balancing all the demands of modern life makes us feel like the guy in the circus spinning plates.
But for many of us, privileged enough to live in Westport or Weston, we do all those things without worrying about how it will affect our jobs.
Or whether our boss, manager or company policy will not let us do it at all.
So today — Labor Day — let’s be grateful for all the opportunities we have, in the “labor force.”
Let’s honor all those who do unpaid labor — the moms and dads who, thanks to a high-earning spouse, have the good fortune to spend time at home with their kids as they grow.
Let’s think too about all the men and women in Westport, and far beyond, for whom Labor Day is a much-needed day off.
And let’s think especially about those who are working right now, on this holiday honoring workers. From supermarkets and drug stores, to hospitals and Police, Fire and EMS departments — and so many more — we need you.
We see you.
And we thank you.
