Life is full of grief. If you have a hard time believing that, just turn on the television or go on the internet.
You’ll see so many stories of hurt and loss and people struggling through. Even in my relatively easy life, I’ve experienced each one of those. Sometimes it’s so overwhelming that it’s easier to just accept the hopelessness that comes with the hurt and loss rather than trying to find a sliver of hope in a really crummy situation.
For me, when I catch myself in that place, I look for something to bring me back around. Something I can actually see, not a feeling or a breath of fresh air, but something my eyes can behold. Something beautiful.
Right now, I’m focusing on rainbows.
Since moving out West and living in some wide open spaces, the views and sky out here are amazing, and I’ve seen some of the most beautiful rainbows of my life.
So many things have to be just right for one to be “created.” There has to be the perfect amount of reflection, refraction, and light dispersion in droplets of water that result in a spectrum of light in the sky. And as quickly as they’re seen, they usually disappear.
So when I see one, I know it’s special, and I need to look at it. So that’s what I do. I usually take a picture of it, too. And I use each one as a reminder that everything is not lost even if it feels like it is.
Yes things are hard, and life is far from fair. But I haven’t been forgotten.
This rainbow is the first one that I remember seeing. It’s on Lake Gogiac in Michigan. It’s also taken with my grandfather’s Yashica 35 mm camera.
This rainbow is in Georgetown, Guyana, seen from my apartment on the University of Georgetown campus. I remember seeing this rainbow and thinking it made me feel at home. I don’t know why exactly.
Glimpses from the Other Side 