This weekend was a long weekend here in Calgary and I made an encouraging observation - all the stores were closed.

We (as a society) have leaned towards valuing success in business over personal, non-working time. In years past I've noticed more and more flyers advertising long weekend "sales". Big department stores, specialty boutiques, car dealerships, electronics stores, even some little mom-and-pop shops - they all seemed to be open and ready for business. If there was a sale on, that meant that everyone had to be working. "If everyone's working, who's meant to be at the sale," I often pondered. No one seemed to come to the same conclusion I did. In fact, right up to last year, it seemed to get worse with each passing holiday.

This spring, I noticed that for some reason, the trend seemed to be reversing. Today (Monday), I had the luxury of not having to work. In my travels, I noticed that the majority of places of business that I passed where ... closed. Phew. Finally, everyone gets a rest. Could it be that the events of September 11th have reminded everyone of what really is most important in life?

I have a feeling that society is getting around to valuing mental health and time with friends and loved ones.