Stand a little rain

On a cool summer day on the beach, the morning was pleasant, and some of us opted to take a stroll along the white sandy shoreline. We were on our hikers’ club beach trip then. The sky was clear except for a few spots of gray clouds. But suddenly, rain came though was gone shortly. Only, during the downpour, there was no shed to run for cover and we had to brave the rain.

After some time, we saw far on the horizon a rainbow arching up spectacularly. I was with a friend and her two children and, on cue, I whipped up my digicam, stepped back, and captured the rainbow with my friends on the shot. It was one moment to seize.

Later, we shared our unique encounter with the rest of the group who were absent at the beach. It’s not everyday you see a rainbow. This one was fantastic, a majestic sight to behold, because it was traversing a vast sea’s unobstructed skyline against a blue firmament. It was beautiful, colossal.

A companion hiker, whom we dub as the “umbrella lady,” unfortunately missed the sky show. She always has an umbrella over her head no matter what the weather. However, she has her reasons and we respect it. I suppose she had escaped from the rain and took shelter somewhere. If only I was familiar with this quotation before, I would have said to her, “If you are ever to see a rainbow, you have got to stand a little rain.”

I discovered this quote just recently, perceived it to be very meaningful and truly inspiring. In no time, I was grabbing my tools of pen and pad. Of course, the verse line can be interpreted both ways, literally and allegorically. Literal translation means that you wouldn’t get the chance to see the rainbow if you shy away from the rains, as what happened to the “umbrella lady.” Allegorically it implies that to realize our dreams, we must strive for it, make a little sacrifice.

Rainbow, simply explained, is an arch of colors transformed from the reflection of the sun’s rays through falling rain. We say “arch” because it appears to the eye that way. Fact is, rainbow is a circle thing and it’s cosmic huge. So, forget about that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There’s no end.

However,  the rainbow comes as a promising motivation of our ideals and pursuits. Genuinely, it is a promise by itself because God created it as a sign not to send the floods again. So, when a rainbow appears, we should renew our insights and, of course, cherish the moment.

We use “rainbow” as a sweet metaphor to define a wonderful feeling. It is just a sign of the bright prospects of our dreams, hopes and aspirations. It is just a paradigm of having a good life, as symbolized by sunshine, sparkling champagne and bed of roses. It is just a music lyric to help us get out of the blues, to raise our spirit, to catch our fantasies.

We may have our rainbows, but don’t think we will be born with it. Don’t fancy it will be given on a silver platter. We have to stand a little rain, at least. We have to sweat it out, to use our imagination, to do our darndest to make things happen. Money doesn’t grow on trees, we have to earn it. Dreams don’t just come true, we deliver it. Sunshine doesn’t just come our way, we motivate it. And a bed of roses doesn’t just grow, we nurture it.

What’s a little rain compared to the windstorms of your life? To stand a little rain to see a rainbow is peanuts. It’s no picnic when you struggle with hardships, contend with headaches, fight for a living. You have to experience all sorts of pains, sufferings and anguish in order to be strong. You have to address every difficulty, problem and trial so as to arrive somewhere. We have to slave away, bear the cross, go the whole length in hopes to get a piece of life. It’s really rewarding if at the end of the day we will snatch our rainbow dreams.

Rainbows symbolize the rose-colored side of things. It connotes optimism, promises, fancies, hopes, happiness. It dances to the cheerfulness of the rays of sunshine, pixie dust stars, silver-lining clouds, grinning horizons and smiling sky. It is a vibrancy that raises our hopes, sends promising expectations, and says that all is for the best.

Certainly, we like rainbows to represent our dreams. It is figuratively significant because the rainbow is arched with a perfectly circled band of the radiant colors of the spectrum. It is beautiful, regal, magnificent, colorful, awe-inspiring. That’s the way we want our dreams to be.

In the pursuit of these dreams, we should – talking of rain – weather the storm. We should stand even howlers and twisters just to notch up even little pieces of our rainbows. We should take a whack at it no matter what the big fears, impediments and difficulties are. We should spare no effort even if we have to move mountains and earth than watch our rainbows dissipate into the air.

Forget the little rain, the umbrella, the shed. What’s wrong with a few raindrops falling on your head?