Define Holiday

It's Labor Day weekend.
The beginning of September. The unofficial end of summer. The celebration of the 40 hour work week and paid vacation time.
Time for one last family or neighborhood cookout; one last road trip; one last day of frivol.

Schools, which have been in session for half a hot month already, get a break. Kids have days off to be with their families and join in the fun.

Or do they?

In spite of the holiday, there are track meets and football games and who knows what all events. Buses and teams and roadtrips are now part of the experience. Labor Day is no holiday for parents, it seems. Life remains the same old same old hauling kids here, there, and in between. Parents have to work with schedules and timetables and agendas.
Children, freed from school for  long weekend, have to go to school,
They have to participate in school related events. (Or lose their standing and/or eligibility.)

Excuse me, schools and boards of education.
What constitutes a holiday in your eyes?
What makes a holiday weekend different for your students; what makes it a holiday?

Now, I have no objection to places that work on the holidays. At least, for the most part, they are being honest.

But I do object to the school's use of the holiday weekend where they say "Have a holiday, and we'll see you back here in three hours. And again tomorrow."

Of course, the actual holiday itself is Monday. The weekend is not the holiday.
Except, of course, for the families that have one last summer weekend planned.

That is, if their children aren't robbed of the time.

March Madness

It's the media-popularized time of the year known as March Madness. Once again, despite war and accidents, despite car crashes and violent smashes, despite missing children and murdered mothers, despite life and death proceeding as always, the most important question on the public's mind is "How are your brackets?"  

Some media outlets are brave enough to query "What do you think of March Madness?" The only acceptable response is of course what great fun it is and how it is looked forward to since last April, I presume.

Oh, they will occasionally cite a negative response so that the rest of the world can chuckle and shake their head at whatever the poor sap is missing. 

March Madness used to be about cabin fever, when winter and being confined made us crazy to get out and just go outside and do anything. Or stay inside and commit murder. March madness was the grass growing and the sap flowing and life surging against the icy bonds.

This modern definition of the term is to stay sitting inside, huddled around (or worshipping at the feet of) an electronic device while watching others run and jump and play. The worshippers then scribble and draw patterns on paper. Sometimes this is for the privilege (?) of being right; often it is for the exchange of other pieces of paper, usually green.

March Madness indeed.

When the green is showing beneath sludge and snow, peeking out from odd corners,; 

when the sun pours gold upon all who venture out; when daylight outlasts the dark night' why does anyone WANT to remain huddled in allegiance to a radiant square? When the air is fresh and clean and by breathing in you can taste the tang of green-and-growing things, why does anyone want to remain in a place that reeks of months of confinement? When spring is in the air, it is madness indeed to remain in stasis.