The end of my rainbow

The other morning I was driving to a client’s office and for most of the journey I could see at least one rainbow, and for part of it there were three on the horizon. This is pretty rare where I come from, so I found myself staring at them quite intensely. I played with my viewpoint (as much as one can while driving), seeing how I could affect these quintessentially subjective objects that appeared before me. As I turned a near-360 degree corner on my route I feared I might lose these intriguing spectacles only to find two more waiting to keep me company as I continued on my way.

During this time many things crossed my mind, mostly around the idea that the ethereal existence of the rainbows was the greatest example of how we can’t prove anything exists unless we perceive it, and how those perceptions are all, ultimately, temporary. At that moment I felt hugely grateful for everything and everyone in my life, and the enormous opportunities I have at my disposal, particularly those I choose to take but also those I choose to ignore, and those which I don’t even notice passing me by.

A few minutes later I noticed that the lone rainbow that was now ahead of me was extending across the dashboard, and melting into my hands on the wheel. A revelation…

I am the pot of gold at the end of every rainbow I see

For me the leprechaun’s pot of gold has always represented something unobtainable but desirable. It’s there and I can’t get to it, but if I could find a way to obtain it, life would be better. This thought pattern is self-fulfilling. I think I’m missing something so I go about my day with the overriding feeling of lack, which subsequently manifests in any number of ways, both subtle and not.

For as long as I can remember I’ve considered that pot to be unobtainable. For me the lesson of the myth has always been that the pot of gold everyone seeks is damn near impossible to get and that life is easier if we accept that what we most want in the world is usually unobtainable. But it’s not, and the key is realising that I already have what I most want in the world…

…to be in it.