Friday, August 09, 2013

A better way to spend my time

I saw a rainbow today. You'd think with as much rain as we've gotten this year, that rainbows would be a dime a dozen, but that hasn't been the case.
Today was the first one I've seen this year.
I don't take things like rainbows lightly. I pulled to the side of the road, cranked down the truck window and shot this picture with my iPhone.
People passing glared at me as if I'd swerved to run over a kitten.
I wanted to tell them, slow down, look at the rainbow. Maybe they saw it, and dismissed it as if it were a telemarketer calling during dinner.
I might be wrong, but I think rainbows, like second chances are rare and beautiful things that you should not take for granted.
After all, if you're not awed by rare and precious gifts, what are you awed by. Even when I worked at a job that was just slightly less stressful than an air traffic controller, I noticed things like rainbows.
Several years ago while driving home after work, an angry bank of clouds rose in the west and rain began to fall. You could see lightening jumping from cloud to cloud.
 I'm not sure if it's this way in other cities, but here in Birmingham, Alabama drivers speed up to attain better traction with their slick tires. I know, it's a fact that we keep close at home.
During this particular episode, I got in the slow lane and drove at a speed that I knew I could stop if I needed to.
When I looked off to the east, I saw a double rainbow over the city. I knew it was ill advised, and even dangerous, but I pull to the emergency lane and took a picture. I sat there for a long while with the truck idling, trying to absorb the beauty.
It took a while to get back into traffic, but the detour was worth it. Like today, I couldn't think of a better way to spend my time.

17 comments:

  1. During a sad time of grief in my life, life brought me a rainbow. I regarded it as a special gift.

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  2. Fabulous! It's so nice to hear there are people who appreciate these gorgeous gifts - as most people have their eyes glued to their smart phone or other advise. Sometimes when I let the dog out at night, I just lay on the grass and stare at the gorgeous sky - so much of it is drowned out by the city lights. It's been years since I've been far enough away to see all the stars that really are there. Thanks for the fabulous story. I'm glad you really didn't drive over a kitten.

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  3. I love rainbows, too. We had the weirdest thing happen several years ago. We were driving in Iowa and we could see a rainbow all the way across the road ending in a field on each side of the road. It was ahead of us and got closer and closer and closer and then suddenly disappeared. As we continued to drive about a mile down the road we looked and it was there in its entirety -except now it was behind us. We had passed completely under it. xo Diana

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  4. Ahhhh....the beauty of a rainbow is loved by people world wide. It is such a wonderful sight to behold. never tire of seeing one....and seeing the double rainbow makes my heart skip a beat!!

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  5. I so agree, sometimes we do need to take the time and admire the beauty around us. Seldom appreciated, but worth it!

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  6. This is why I like you sir. You stop and notice the beauty in the world...not enough people do that these days. I saw a raonbow over the ocean while in Florida and it was one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen.

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  7. I adore rainbows, I try to take a picture whenever I see them and I always stop to admire them... they are so beautiful... I only saw one double rainbow and that was back before we had cell phones so I didn't get a picture... I would take tons of pictures if/when I get the opportunity again :)

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  8. Taking your time and marching to your own drummer is where it is at. I always enjoy your posts. Have a happy day!

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  9. I love rainbows, too and have seen about three gorgeous double rainbows ever. Sometimes I just enjoy watching a rainbow in the water sprinklers. :-)

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  10. Amen! Stopping to appreciate the beauty around us... like rainbows and butterflies and a flower in bloom... makes life that much sweeter. When people take those things for granted and no longer notice them, they lose the wonder of it all, and end up virtually sleep walking through life.

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  11. That's a very nice pic of a rainbow :)

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  12. I never think to take pictures. I just stare at the beauty if the rainbow. I hope the next time I see one I will think to take pictures. I have seen a double rainbow and they are utterly amazing.

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  13. It's amazing to me that folks won't take the time to enjoy a true beauty like a rainbow, but they will spend hours watching Duck Dynasty, Honey BooBoo, or some other piece of trash on TV...just don't get it sometimes! P.S..if those are your fav shows...I'm sorry!

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    Replies
    1. I've never seen an episode of either. In fact, I don't watch network tv at all. If we watch TV, we watch one of our movies, or one of the Movies on Demand from our cable channels.

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  14. I knew they're be a bunch of rainbow lovers in this crowd :)

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  15. Rainbows also have a special meaning. In the year of Jesus's Second Coming, there will be NO rainbows at all that year. The rainbow was God's Covenant with Noah that He would never flood the whole earth again--and each year, it is His Covenant with us that life will go on as usual.

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