These past few days have been on the cooler side, and a thick grey cloud cover hovered over the ground today, typical for this time of the year in western New York. The weather pattern is changing and stabilizing as spring settles in. That means showers and storms. And the return of frequent rainbows.
I used to routinely notice these miraculous gifts of nature all the time. If there was one sweeping the sky across the street from me, I would head out on my front porch, have a seat and gaze in wonder until it disappeared. If there was one on my commute, I would find a safe spot and pull off to the side of the road to do the same. It always amazes me that these giant displays of color are created only by the simple phenomenon of refracted light. That is what recently brought my attention to one the other day on the wall of my kitchen, and I asked myself, “How did my attention ever deviate from the rainbows?” Since then I have been noticing them everywhere again, but it had been too long.
Life just got different for me during the pandemic, as it did for most of us. Two years ago I wasn’t even thinking of heading back to graduate school or changing careers or publishing all the books I had stored in digital files. Then Covid regulations took over like a cosmic two-by-four smacking me in the back of my head. Many experienced illness or anxiety, I came down with an extreme case of boredom. I quickly learned Zoom, and attended online conferences, summits and master classes. Then I applied for and was accepted into my Master’s degree to appease my passion for holistic health. And although I spent much of my time outdoors once the weather got warmer, my face was often buried in books or my laptop. And that hasn’t changed much now that I am halfway through the program. My curiosity was piqued, and my thirst for new knowledge is being quenched. Yet I didn’t realize how much that took away from noticing nature. Until I saw the rainbow on the wall.
I used to see these everywhere indoors, and when I did I always paused to find the source and comfort myself with a story someone told me during childhood, “Rainbows are a sign of God’s promise. He created the first after the great flood when Noah’s ark was safe.” How could I have forgotten that symbolism. So when I saw that the one in the kitchen the other day, I remembered, and the significance was not lost on me. The worst of the pandemic, it seems, is over. In two years I have joined several new tribes and met some amazing people I never would’ve had it not been for the flood of Covid cases out there. I am having at least five books published this year. My life is turning topsy-turvy in an upright direction. I landed back on my feet after the storm. And now I am noticing those rainbows everywhere once again. Not just on the walls or in the skies, but in the eyes and faces of my earth family. Our smiles were covered up by masks for so long. They are free now, and like upside down rainbows, shining with a brightness more vibrant than before.
I don’t want to ever lose sight of God’s promise to me or the rest of us on planet earth ever again. From the painted sky to the wall splashes, those brilliant colors are there for the enjoyment. And so is this new life created during the great pause that has been the last two years. We are here to be the light and point out all of the rainbows. And to uplift others so they are able to see them too.
Are you noticing?
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