Happy Labor Day to all the guys and gals! We love to celebrate sobriety on this fun family holiday. We had a pot luck style picnic, we played Can Jam, volleyball, hackey sack, and more.

Having fun in sobriety is important. We often forget to take the time to celebrate sobriety itself. After all, what’s the point in getting sober if life is just BLAH once you’re clean? Of course there’s hard work in getting clean and staying clean. But balanced with the hard work is laughter and lots of fun. At Recovery Ventures we encourage our residents to cook, play games, and cut up whenever they’re not doing serious work like Step Work or Group Therapy.

Finally, it’s also important to honor those who sacrificed for the greater good. Some people fought so that we can have a better life. The 40 hour work week, healthcare, OSHA regulations. If it weren’t for the brave men and women in labor unions fighting to keep American workers safe, where would we be today? We honor the men and women whose labor then made it possible for us to have fun now.

We think John Cougar Mellencamp said it best. So this Labor Day, enjoy this song, eat some food, and practice gratitude for the things you’ve got. Because the people who came before us didn’t have it so good.

Celebrate Sobriety with Song – Little Pink Houses

by John Cougar Mellencamp

There’s a black man with a black cat
Livin’ in a black neighborhood
He’s got an interstate
Runnin’ through his front yard
You know he thinks that he’s got it so good

And there’s a woman in the kitchen
Cleanin’ up the evenin’ slop
And he looks at her and says, hey darlin’
I can remember when you could stop a clock
Oh, but ain’t that America
For you and me
Ain’t that America
Something to see, baby
Ain’t that America
Home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses
For you and me
Oooh, yeah
For you and me

Well, there’s a young man in a t-shirt
Listenin’ to a rockin’ rollin’ station
He’s got greasy hair, greasy smile
He says, Lord this must be my destination
‘Cause they told me when I was younger
Said boy, you’re gonna be president
But just like everything else
Those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went
Oh, but ain’t that America
For you and me
Ain’t that America
Something to see, baby
Ain’t that America
Home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses
For you and me
Oooh, little baby
For you and me

Well, there’s people and more people
What do they know, know, know
Go to work in some high rise
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico
Ooh, yeah
And there’s winners and there’s losers
But they ain’t no big deal
‘Cause the simple man, baby
Pays for thrills
The bills the pills that kill

Oh, but ain’t that America
For you and me
Ain’t that America
Something to see, baby
Ain’t that America
Home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses
For you and me
Oooh
Ooooh, yeah…

Labor Day