Finding the gold when the rainbow disappears

Life is a challenge.  It is a journey we are never fully prepared for.  And, for most of us, it really is a visit to a carnival.  Sometimes the ride is so slow it’s boring.  Other times it’s fast but kind of exciting.  And then there are those rides that are so scary you wish you had never handed over your five tickets or waited in that line.  When life is the first ride, the boring one, it’s easy to forget to look for happiness because we are half asleep and a little bit lazy or lulled into submission.  The middle ride is the easy times.  The celebrations, romances, and promotions in life that make happiness a smile you can’t take off even if you wanted to!  But the last ride, the scary one, can zap our strength and faith in life.  How do you find something good in a ride you want off of?  How do watch the rainbows in the sky when your head is spinning so fast or your body is being plunged too quickly down?  Everyone has been told at some time or other “everything will be okay”  or “life goes on” but if you are scared, how do you believe that?  If you are doubting, how do you decide which direction to go?  And when you get off your ride with wobbly legs, a tossed stomach, and a dizzy mind, it can sound a bit trivial or irritating to have someone else tell you to have fun or be happy.  Yet, if we do not move forward, maybe we doom ourselves to forever stay on that ride.  Despite our blurred vision, the strange thing is, life is still filled with moments of happiness and laughter if we can keep our hearts open to them.  These moments, however huge or however small, may just be the things that steady us when we finally step off the ride.  They may be the memories or smiles that make that portion of the journey bearable.  If your sky is too stormy to see the rainbow, try to remember that it is there existing somewhere beyond the gray.  Believe in it.  Have faith in it.  Brave the ride knowing it will come to an end and you are strong enough to find your way out of it whole and well.  Should you ever have the chance to take a moment or two to breathe and rest easy, take that merry-go-round ride and watch all of the people and places going by never taking for granted the gift of your moments of ease.  Cherish the leisure moments in life.  Cherish the touch of a loved one.  Pay attention to a stranger’s kind smile.  These will be the moments that carry you through making your journey a life lived well and with meaning.  These small moments of significance are the pot of gold.