Ripen Like Rainbows: Slowing Down in a Pandemic

Over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed a lot of friends posting pictures of big, glorious, Instagram-worthy rainbows.

To be honest, I’ve been a bit jealous of these posts because I love rainbows. I love rain. I love the breezy, earthy smell that comes with rain and rainbows. And we’ve had a LOT of rain lately, but no rainbows.

At least, not that I’ve noticed…

I have a strangely vivid memory of a rainbow from when I was 9. I want to say it was my 9th birthday because I strongly associate this memory with my birthday. But honestly I’m not entirely sure if that part is true. All I know is it for sure happened when I was 9 because I remember where it happened: the front yard of the house my family was renting in Des Peres, MO (a subburb of St. Louis).

I can still close my eyes and visualize it like it was yesterday…

The big Oak tree looming over our red brick home…
Its bare branches – dark with wet – backlit by the sun shining behind it…
A full, double rainbow stretching out its wide arms parallel with our street…
Its bright colors contrasting against the deep grey clouds of the stormy sky…
I dance in the street and splash in the puddles as a light sprinkle of rain falls around me…
Those misty drops sustaining the rainbow with their prism effect in sunshine…
Until the sun shifts and it slowly fades away…

I love that memory. It’s probably why I love rainbows. I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I saw a double rainbow.

Well after weeks of wishing and searching for a rainbow, today I got a full one right in my backyard!

Then suddenly it dawned on me why there’s been so many rainbow posts on Facebook lately! People have been there to see them.

Life has slowed down. Our routines have shifted. We’ve had the time to sit back and rest a little more than we’re used to. We’re noticing the little, beautiful things that are always around us – the simple pleasures that we are normally too busy to notice, much less appreciate.

This pandemic has made us stop and find the rainbows.

Just how many rainbows have we missed over the years? Seriously stop to think about it. They’re such short-lived, little gems of nature that are gone as fast as they arrive, yet they have the power to turn a mundane spring storm into a cherished and long-lasting memory. That’s such incredible potential! Yet it’s something we normally miss out on because we’re moving too fast.

So today I’m thankful for life slowing down a little, for the opportunity to appreciate the small things, for reminiscing over past rainbows, and for catching new ones.

Today’s rainbow was not nearly as grand as the double rainbow from my 9-year-old memory… It certainly wasn’t as vibrant… But maybe part of a rainbow’s magic is how its colors will ripen in our memories over time.

So let’s all remember to slow down once in a while to make some memories that ripen like rainbows.