Everyday Inspiration: Are You Having A Rainbow Moment?
I was parked outside of Kroger the other day, waiting for my son to pick up a few things. It was one of those afternoons where thunderstorms had moved through and the sun, clouds, and rain were still doing their dance.
As I was watching people go inside and outside of the store, I saw the most amazing full-spectrum rainbow in the distance. It was the kind you see in fairytale novels where every color looks perfectly painted and arched, as if someone had taken a paintbrush and literally painted the sky.
It was so amazing that I found myself gazing in the wonder and awe of it for a few minutes, trying to take it all in and wondering if my eyes where playing tricks on me. Then another wondrous thing crossed my awareness. I realized that no one, not one person, seemed to see it. Was I really seeing this rainbow? Was I having a real moment or was the moment having me?
Now I stood in awe again for another few minutes, not watching the rainbow but watching how unaware and preoccupied the people were that entered and exited that grocery store. I observed most people were walking very fast with their heads down, devices in their ears, or blank faces that were lost in thought.
How many times are these people me? How many times do I miss the rainbows that are right in front of me and how many times do we miss the opportunities that we ask for because we are too preoccupied?
When was the last time I allowed myself to simply take in an experience, let it wash over me, move me, and touch me? When was the last time I allowed the sight and sounds to trigger an emotion down deep, like I used to when I was a child listening to music? Letting the moment simply unfold unto itself without trying to think of ways to alter it or make it better by adding to it.
“The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you finish the work.” – Pat Clifford
Yes, you and I are the same. We want happiness, peace contentment, success. We want our lives to have meaning, to be of some significance. Yet, were we supposed to go out somewhere and obtain these? These qualities are not for sale. They do not come from anything outside of ourselves, no matter what others may try to sell you.
At the end of the day it will be YOU who decides if your day was the gift it was meant to be or not. Regardless of what is going on in your life or what the balance of your bank account is, it will be you who decides if that is okay or not.
There are so many little things that go on in a day, how many are we really aware of? Those little nuances may actually shift your understanding of just what is real and what is not if only we paid attention.
When did we buy into the notion that there is supposed to be a laundry list of criteria that have to be met before any moment can pass as fulfilling or worth our attention? The instant we gave into this belief and made it our truth, we were set up for disappointment. For now we go on a quest, usually searching outside of ourselves, to bring forth this so-called perfect experience, when it’s been right in front of us the whole time. There was nothing to fix, nothing was ever broken.
As Eckhart Tolle famously implores one to ask: Can I be the space for this?
Then the world ceases to be two things;
1) Fulfillment, and;
2) A Threat
A few things I know for sure:
1. Your to-do list will never get done.
2. There’s no amount of money in the world that will guarantee you happiness.
3. The journey is the destination, because the destination comes only when it’s ultimately over.
“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.” – Mary Jean Irion
Rainbows are so fleeting and so mysterious. They only appear when the crucial balance of sun and rain are just right. For the rainbow to appear, the clouds must be cleared and the sun must be behind you not yet fully risen. It’s a perfect moment in time.
But, here’s the thing: most moments are though. It is you that judge them as not perfect enough. You flit from moment to moment trying to make the moment better, faster, easier. Yet while you are so busy trying to change and bend your moments into perfection, you miss the very perfection that existed all along. Missing all the rainbows along the way that didn’t need any changes from you to begin with.
Perhaps, today, let us be more mindful of all the things on our list that we feel we need to fix, change, do, see, and go to in order to incorporate more happy moments into our lives. After all isn’t this why we work or do the things we do? We do them so that at the END of the day we can enjoy ourselves and experience moments of happiness, peace, and contentment. Why not realize that you don’t have to wait until the end of the day!?
Rainbow moments will happen today, I assure you. They happen everyday ALL day, 24/7. It’s we who need to bring awareness to them. We can choose to see the rainbow. We can choose to look up. We can choose to decide we are worth the time. We can choose to cherish the everyday and see the treasure in it. We can stop seeing what’s missing in every situation and realize that, in its very imperfect perfection, is the moment we’ve been waiting for.
Are you ready?
As you take each step I will be there reminding you of your Magnificence, and I will continue to do so, until you are able to see it in yourself. © Copyright. Jennifer Annenberg Productions. 2013. All Rights Reserved. This publication may not be reproduced under any circumstances without the written consent of Jennifer Annenberg.
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