may day

yesterday a friend of mine, a brother-in-arms, really, lucio, (aka, the spifler,) reminded me it was may day. i had actually thought about it in the morning and wondered what may day was again. i knew it was something but i had forgotten. a quick google reminded me that it is among my favorite holidays, (and that we have forgotten about the haymarket affair but could be closer to the next similar event than that one some 123 years ago.)

may day is also known as international worker's day and while this post is a day late, i wanted to tip my hat to all you who are workers.

• if you work in a contact center toiling away in the holy name of customer service, cheers to you member of the proletariat, i salute you.
  
• if you if you are engaged daily in the work of building things, houses and stuff, plumbing and doing electrical work and roofing and all that, be proud. you are among the noble masses who work.


• if you are a teacher, stimulating the minds of our children to learn and grow, if you work in a school caring for the little ones among us, if you coach, counsel or nurture the succeeding generations, your daily tasks are important to the nth degree. thank you.


• if you ship and receive, if you climb wires or dodge traffic to take photographs of the landscape, if you operate heavy machinery, if you collect garbage or truck goods around this country, if you work in a factory, if you dig or excavate or jack-hammer or pour concrete, your honest day's work is a marvel and your commitment is to be admired.


• if you sell things, if you push paper and pencil all day, if you balance books or loan books, if you deal cards, if you do retail, if you tend bar, if you keep things secure, if you are hospitable, if you engineer, if you are a caregiver, you work and you should be proud.

there is nothing more noble than accepting the terms of life and getting up every day and meeting it head on and providing for yourself and your family and doing what you need to do. my hat is always off to you.

this may day, this may, this year, this lifetime, my wish is that you too will feel a sense of brotherhood and camaraderie with your fellow workers of the world. we're all in this together.