look for rainbows

The weather in San Francisco has been erratic lately. One minute it will be pouring rain with a pitch black sky, and moments later the sun will be shining without a cloud in sight. It’s tricky to plan around and even trickier to dress for, but it’s not changing for now, so I’m learning to adjust.

I was running with my friend over the weekend and one of these bizarre weather moments happened – the sky behind us was an ominous dark gray, the sky in front of us was bright blue and sunny, and there were rain showers stopping and starting every few minutes. While we looked at the sun ahead and felt the rain hit our heads, my friend made a great point, “there must be a rainbow somewhere!” For the rest of the run, every time the showers started again, we searched the sky for a rainbow. 

Later that day we were shopping around, and I saw a sign in a store with a quote from Oscar Wilde – “When it rains, look for rainbows. When it’s dark, look for stars.” I hadn’t given much thought to our looking for rainbows earlier until reading the quote. Running in the rain could’ve easily turned into complaining about the weather, and often for me, it does. But our rainy run was so much more enjoyable because we focused on this exciting chance. Our focus shifted from the unideal conditions to the potential of the good it could bring. We didn’t even end up seeing a rainbow, but the entire tone of our run and the day ahead was lighter.

We get to choose how we approach the situations we face and the different realities life brings. While most challenges are more serious and difficult than unpredictable weather, we can still take this rainbow approach and apply it in different settings. We all deserve goodness, and we can find it in any place if we look hard enough. 

There will be days and periods when the rain comes down hard in our lives and there’s no chance of the sun coming out. When those times happen we can accept them for what they are and trust that there are brighter days ahead. When we have the chance to enjoy some form of light that life brings, whether that’s sunshine or a new opportunity or getting to see someone we love or a good meal or running into a cute dog on the street, or anything else little or big – we must enjoy it. Regardless of what else is going on in our lives. We owe it to ourselves to maximize the good and minimize the bad. 

Next time you get caught in the rain, pause for a moment before letting it take over your day. Seek out a rainbow, or some other source of joy, and know that the sun will come again. You have the strength to weather any storm, and you deserve to find goodness in every day.

xo