JAMES LILEKS: We all know what Labor Day means.

Nothing changed. The calendar is just a bunch of sticks we arrange over the turning earth. What’s the difference between 08/31 and 09/01?  The calendar speaks truth, though. Something has changed.

Summer is when you know for certain that tomorrow will be summer, too. We no longer have that assurance.

Fall is when you know for certain that summer is gone for good. You bask in the wan light, marvel at the new beauty, smile at the prospect of a warm Halloween, all the time newly reminded of the brutal truths to come. As much as we love it, Fall loses interest in our company, moves out in the night,  and leave behind an empty house. Not yet, though! Not yet. That’s the marvelous quality of Labor day. It’s all over tomorrow, perhaps. But not today.

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