"And So It Begins..."

Today is Labor Day: the unofficial end of summer, the last long weekend for a good while, the start of school for many (tomorrow), and for many the last good grilling weekend.

It also used to be the day when the Labor Day Parade would regularly happen here in New York City. This year, there is no parade - at least, not in Manhattan.

Say what you like about Unions. I've heard arguments from both sides and seen excesses on both sides, and have argued both sides (a testament to the benefits of Toastmasters Interational if ever there was one). The fact still remains that many of the benefits - if not all - that we as working-class Americans enjoy were hard fought for and are still protected by the various trade unions across this great land.

That having been said, I still think that every rank and file member of every union should read "A Message to Garcia" by Elbert Hubbard and take it to heart. Moreover, I believe that management everywhere should adopt a "Boxing Day" program in their companies - even if they're not British.

Me, I tend to do some work on hooliday wekends - sometimes to catch up, other times to get ahead, still other to insure not falling behind. Starting this blog is my "work" for today. The majority of items will be either job-related or business-related (and no, they are not the same thing. Stay Tuned.), with other items thrown in. through it I mean to connect and re-connect with the things that affect me deeply. There's a chronic shortage of passion in most peoples' lives, and that way lies stagnation and death. The title to today's blog is a nod to the creator of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczinski. We share a spiritual mentor in common in Goethe, whose quotes you'll see from time to time.

Til next time -