labour day... what does it all mean?

(an undated photo of a Toronto Labour Day parade in the 1900's.)

according to wikipedia, Labour Day has been celebrated in canada since the 1880's. with roots reaching back to when the Toronto Typological Union staged a parade to bring attention to their strike demanding a 58 hour work week. as a result, parliament passed the Trade Union Act and soon all unions were in favour of a 58 hour work week. not shockingly, soon the work week was reduced to 40 hours so that the day could be broken up into "8 hours for work, 8 hours for play, and 8 hours for sleep." seriously, i used to work 50+ work weeks... talk about burnout! however, i know that there are many people who would probably work longer than that if there weren't labour laws... and i think that we need to protect our personal lives from interference from work!

as a working mom, with my own jewelry business on the side, i certainly feel like i "work" much more than 40 hours! but i am blessed to have the wonderful life that i have - and hopefully will be continuing to hack away at the work/life balance in my life! so... happy labour day! may there be picnics, sunshine and fireworks for everyone!