Lucy and I experienced quite an amazing site the other night and I bet you’ll never guess where…
After all of the travels this kid has done so far (34 flights in 20 months), one of the coolest sights was found right in our local grocery store parking lot! (Isn’t that how life goes?!)
We walked out with our cart full of yummies to find a FULL rainbow right before our eyes. It spanned the entire sky. (I felt five!)
“WOOOWWW!” Lucy instantly proclaimed in her shaky toddler voice, pointing up at one of the coolest things I had ever seen in my 32 years. I found myself echoing her joy and awe. It was sure something! So big! So bright! And it’s so rare to see both ends. Upon closer inspection, there were actually two rainbows, the second one fainter but there in the shadow of the first.
Lucy had certainly labeled this right — “WOOOWWW!”
I pulled the cart off to the side and we enjoyed the beauty together — delighting in one another’s joy. We stuck around for probably five minutes just enjoying the show in the sky.
That five minutes taught me a lot about my fellow shoppers. We saw a few people who also enjoyed the rainbow by shooting pictures or leaning on their cars, just taking it in. Cool.
The large majority of people, however, were much too busy to stop. Adultitis was running rampant right there before my eyes. It made me sad AND mad. About 90% of the people we saw did not even acknowledge the rainbow AT ALL. They were coming out of the store, rushing to their cars, eager to get to the next thing. [Sidenote: There’s NO WAY you could’ve missed it, as it stretched across the entire sky of this wide open parking lot.]
I wanted so badly to approach one of these individuals and say….
“Hello?! Seriously?! It’s a full, double rainbow, for crying out loud! How many times in your lifetime have you seen this? Are you really THAT busy not to stop for even a second?”
What would they have said?
Somehow, with less than 24 months of life experience, Lucy knew instinctively that this rainbow was a BIG deal.
How quickly we let the busyness of life’s to-do list preoccupy our ability to delight in the beauty and wonder right here in our midst. The rainbow was an obvious one, but it begs an important question: what are you missing today?
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A great reminder to enjoy the beauty around us.
The moon was awesome in the sky this morning…I was so disappointed I didn’t have my camera in my car. I did, however, stand there and just enjoy the view.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Deb. Good for you for “just enjoying the view.” There are so many memories we make that aren’t captured by a camera and that’s okay because you’re able to enjoy it even more.
Isn’t life great when we slow down enough to notice it’s beauty?
Thanks for sharing :)
– JC
Amen to that, JC!
That’s definitely a WOOOWWW! moment! I had one of my own a few days ago when I was in Ashland, WI. While driving along Highway 2 along Chequamegon Bay (please don’t ask me to pronounce the name of the Bay), I saw a gorgeous sunset that was mirrored in the water. It was so beautiful I pulled over for a couple minutes and wished I had my camera. Sunsets are hard to capture well on camera, but I would’ve been willing to try! Congratulations to you and Lucy for being able to experience one of God’s “I love you” moments.
Jason and I think WI has some of the best sunsets around. I’m glad you enjoyed one recently – sounds like it was fabulous. Those “I love you” moments are so cool!!
Wow, indeed! I’ve been trying my best to take in the amazing sceneries and little (or not so much) moments this past summer. I have taken several pics on my cell phone of the skies here in CT. We experienced crazy weather, especially in July. love when the sky is like a painting and the colors just take you away.
Thanks for the article and sharing your WOW moment with us!!!!
Congrats on your efforts to enjoy the beauty all around you this past summer!! Sometimes the trick is just being more conscious and making an effort, amidst all of the distractions. Here’s to many more WOW moments this fall!
Just for a different perspective, Kim (and you know I’m 100% anti-adultitis!), sometimes there are things going on in people’s lives that you can’t perceive just by looking at them.
When my 16-year-old kitty was dying of cancer last year and I was struggling with daily panic attacks, I might not have noticed a double rainbow either. Sometimes it’s not adultitis or being too busy, but deep mental or physical pain that causes someone not to be in the moment.
Don’t be mad at them and don’t make assumptions about their lack of interest; just hope that they’re able to receive the next cool thing and send them some positive thoughts while you’re at it. :-)
This is a REALLY good point.
Thanks for shedding some light on those who are struggling with pain – that is DEFINITELY different than what I was referring to (Adultitis-ridden people). The symptoms for Adultitis and grieving look similar at times. It’s something we have noticed along the way.
Sorry about your kitty. :(
What an awesome sight………….not only the rainbow but the picture of Lucy with the rainbow. Something that you will be able to remember for ever!! Cherish these days with your Lucy………..they grow so fast!!! I just sent mine off to college this week and remember oh so well the wonder she had in the smallest things!!!
Thanks, Lynda. The time does go so very fast. Her first 20 months seem like 2 weeks. Memories like these are priceless… I bet it’s fun to be able to share those memories with your now college-aged kiddo. Great hearing from you!
My wife and I make it a point to stop and “take it all in” to stop and take mental snapshots of the “moment.” It doesn’t even necessarily have to be a WOOOOWWW moment all the time. So important to do that. This life goes by fast and you don’t want to look back and miss it.
There is the book (and movie) called The Color Purple where the title comes from the idea of how offended God must be if we walk past a field of beautiful brilliant purple lillies but fail to notice the care and meticulous detail that God put into its creation. When He did it all for us to enjoy. Soo we have to enjoy it.
Make memories.
I love the “mental snapshots,” David! Awesome!! I never knew the meaning behind “The Color Purple” – very cool. Yes, we are all so busy, it’s so important to stop and pay attention to the beauty! Thanks for your insights here and for your example!
If there’s one thing guaranteed to stop me in my tracks, it’s a rainbow. I remember, about 20 years ago, seeing an upside down rainbow; apparently it’s quite rare. Something to do with ice crystals, which makes sense as I was in the far north of England at the time. Rainbows!
What?!! An upside down rainbow?! WOW…. I’ve never even heard of that. Sounds like something out of a Tim Burton film. Yes, rainbows are rare… and such a treat. Thanks for sharing, Chris!
Was it on Friday August 13th? I was just returning from our Lucy’s 7th birthday party at Anastasia & Tom’s and going back to our church festival. When I turned into the church parking lot, everyone in the tent was looking towards me (or so I thought). They were actually looking at the double rainbow that seemed to start at the church’s steeple. Only the 2nd one I ever recall seeing. The first was in Wyoming after picking up Anastasia from a two week wider opportunity with Girl Scouts. Awesome both times. Let’s me know there is someone and something out there much bigger than you and me. Enjoy your Lucy. We sure enjoy ours!!
Hi Lynne! Yes, it WAS on the 13th. We were looking at the same set of rainbows. How is Lucy 7 already?!! It’s a good reminder that something/someone much bigger than us loves us immensely. The gift of our Lucy is a good daily reminder of that, too! Great hearing from you!