Rainbow Residue

We’ve talked about how to navigate your day when it seems like the good things are hard to find and how to approach your day with the excitement of a child , but often when we get busy, our best laid plans can get lost in the shuffle of the hustle and bustle! As the holiday season draws to a close, we have an opportunity to set some intentions for the year to come. Resolutions can be daunting but something as simple as promising yourself you will try to see the good in each day can really change the way you will perceive your upcoming year.

I am grateful for a conversation with someone recently who shared with me a story that highlights the magic we can all experience when we stay present in the moment rather than let life pass us by. With permission, I love that I am able to share this story with you… 

It was the final push to get the shopping done and the packages in the mail before Christmas, when a mother and her child were crossing a busy street. As she was trying to usher this small person along so as not to hold up traffic, he stopped and exclaimed “look, look, there’s a rainbow on the street!!”. As you can imagine if you put yourself in her shoes, his mother’s stress crept up a little higher as she turned and tried to get him to keep moving and not delay everyone further. But he stood his ground and insisted that she come and look at the pavement too. He pointed down and excitedly asked “do you think this is where the rainbow touched the ground!?!” I have to say I like this kid’s style…of course a rainbow would leave a mark where it “touched the ground!”. While his day was made -witnessing this rare natural phenomenon, unfortunately like most adults, his mom was too busy and stressed to enjoy the magic of it. Let’s be honest, to our own detriment, we are all often in a rush and having a child hold up traffic is going to test the patience of busy adults everywhere. 

Well, fortunately, the individual who shared the story with me, decided to take a moment out of her busy day and look down when she reached that same spot on the crosswalk. Though to most adults, it was just a few drops of oil or gasoline on the pavement, in that moment, it was transformed for everyone who wanted to believe, that it was in fact the mark left behind by a rainbow when it touched the ground. 

Let this little story be a reminder to slow down and live in the present, take the time to notice life’s wonders, always stay curious and though we may have to get older, we never have to grow up. Be open to experience the little things, just as we used to do. Hidden in the seemingly mundane tasks of our lives, there is often a bit of magic there for us to find. 

So may your upcoming year be full of health, happiness, and the opportunity to notice the “rainbow residue” that life has sprinkled for you.