Published on April 15, 2020
One evening this week, I found myself driving in a steady rainstorm. I was halfway home from the store when the rain slowed to a mist and the sun peeked out. I didn’t think much of it until I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a huge, bold rainbow. The conditions were just right to see something amazing. I’m guessing most people see a handful of rainbows in Michigan each year and enjoy them when they do. Rainbows always seem to bring smiles and joy. I have not seen a rainbow in many, many years because of my colorblindness. Unless a rainbow is extremely intense and defined in color, they are invisible to me. This one, however, was fantastic to take in.
People may have thought it was strange to see me pulled off on the side of the road shooting a video blog of myself with an amazingly colorful rainbow in the background. I didn’t care; I just wanted to share my discovery and joy with others. I sent that video off to the folks I work with as I knew they would appreciate this colorblind person’s excitement!
I’ve had more time to think about this rainbow and cherish it for what it was. It was an unexpected gift. They only appear when the conditions are right, with a storm being one of the conditions. While we are all in challenging and stormy times right now, I am certain a rainbow will appear when and where we least expect it. We will be stronger, smarter and better in the way we do things because of this storm. When the great recession was occurring, I remember telling employees we would be a better company when we came out on the other side. It was so true. I strongly feel the same way with today’s crisis. We should expect rainbows to pop out from time to time showing us there is a bright side to every situation. Your rainbow may be ahead of you or already behind you. Either way, don’t miss it!