Most people think of Labor Day as the “last hoorah” of summer. One more long weekend of barbecues, road trips, and lake days before the air shifts and routines settle back in.
But the roots of this holiday run deeper than an extra day off. Labor Day began in the late 1800s, when long hours, unsafe conditions, and endless workdays pushed people to rise up and say enough. The first parade was in 1882, when 10,000 workers filled the streets of New York City. Not to party, but to declare that their worth was more than the hours they gave away. That life needed space for dignity, rest, and renewal.
By 1894, it became a national holiday, not just to celebrate the work that built this country, but to honor the truth that human beings are not meant to endlessly grind. We are meant to live. To breathe. To restore.
And isn’t that still the reminder we need today?.
That’s why I believe in rituals that remind us of this: choosing rest, choosing nourishment, choosing practices that restore us at the deepest level. Because just like those voices over a century ago, your life is worth honoring in the same way.
Our modern lives rarely give us space for true rest. Our minds are always busy on the next thing and some have lost their ability to step in a state of true intentional rest.
That’s why building in micro-Sabbaths can be transformative. A micro-Sabbath is just 15–20 minutes each day where you deliberately step out of the grind and into presence.
It might look like steeping a cup of herbal tea and sipping it slowly instead of rushing. Or stepping outside barefoot to feel the grass, grounding yourself in the rhythms of the earth. Maybe it’s lying down with your eyes closed and practicing deep, diaphragmatic breathing that melts stress from your shoulders. Pair it with a Breathe Balm for deep inhalation and you will feel the rejuvenation immediately. The point isn’t what you do, it’s the pause itself.
These small acts of intentional rest are like whispers to your nervous system: You are safe. You are more than the hustle. You are alive. Over time, these sacred pauses train your body to release stress, regulate cortisol, and remind your soul that productivity does not equal worth.
Think of them as your daily declaration, a reset button that anchors you back into the fullness of being human, not just human-doing.
A colorful, nutrient-dense way to celebrate the “final hoorah” of summer while fueling your body with renewal.
Late Summer Harvest Salad with Lemon Honey Dressing
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed greens (spinach, arugula, kale)
1 cup roasted sweet potatoes, cubed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, sliced
½ cup roasted chickpeas
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup feta or goat cheese (optional)
4 cups mixed greens (spinach, arugula, kale)
1 cup roasted sweet potatoes, cubed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, sliced
½ cup roasted chickpeas
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup feta or goat cheese (optional)
Dressing:
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp raw honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch sea salt + cracked black pepper
Directions:
1. Roast sweet potatoes at 400°F for 20–25 minutes, drizzled with olive oil + salt.
2. Assemble salad with greens, tomatoes, cucumber, roasted potatoes, chickpeas, seeds, and cheese.
3. Whisk dressing ingredients together, drizzle over salad, toss, and enjoy.
A natural, fragrant, and multipurpose cleaner that brings the scent of autumn into your home while keeping surfaces sparkling clean.
Harvest Infused Vinegar Cleaner
Ingredients:
2 cups white distilled vinegar
1 orange (peel only, avoid pith for less bitterness)
2–3 cinnamon sticks
4–5 whole cloves
Optional: 1–2 star anise pods or a few sprigs of fresh rosemary for added depth
1 quart-sized mason jar with lid
Spray bottle for use
2 cups white distilled vinegar
1 orange (peel only, avoid pith for less bitterness)
2–3 cinnamon sticks
4–5 whole cloves
Optional: 1–2 star anise pods or a few sprigs of fresh rosemary for added depth
1 quart-sized mason jar with lid
Spray bottle for use
Instructions:
1. Prepare the jar: Wash and dry a quart-sized mason jar.
2. Add the aromatics: Place the orange peel, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and any optional ingredients into the jar.
3. Pour vinegar: Pour white distilled vinegar over the aromatics, fully submerging them.
4. Steep: Seal the jar and let it sit in a cool, dark place for 2–3 weeks. Shake gently every few days to mix the flavors.
5. Strain: After steeping, strain out the solids and discard (or compost) them.
6. Dilute for cleaning: Mix 1 part infused vinegar with 1 part water in a spray bottle for a ready-to-use cleaner.
7. Use: Perfect for countertops, glass, sinks, and tables. Avoid using on natural stone surfaces like granite or marble.
At Alchemy Code, we create skincare as an invitation into these same rhythms: nourishing, restorative, alive with the kind of ingredients that help you remember your worth isn’t in the work, but in the being.
So this weekend, I’ll be asking myself: Am I laboring for a life I want, or resting into the life I already have?
Maybe the truth is, it’s both. Life moves in seasons. Some call us to put our hands to the work, building, creating, laboring toward the life we envision. Other seasons invite us to exhale, to rest into the beauty we’ve already built, to simply be. Wholeness is found not in choosing one or the other, but in holding both: the contentment of the present and the hope of what’s still to come.
