7+ Important Life Lessons from Rainbows

Did you know that it’s physically impossible to spot a rainbow around noon, even if the weather conditions are perfect? Why…..because a rainbow occurs when the sun strikes a raindrop at a 42 degree angle which is not possible around noon when the sun is directly overhead. Source: Accuweather

I think we can all agree that rainbows are good. As a middle-aged adult, I still get excited every time I see a great rainbow.  Rainbows, after all, are fairly rare and magical. In fact, they are so magical that they can teach us some very important life lessons. 

Life Lesson #1 – Everything is not as it appears to be.  

Did you know that a whole rainbow is not an arch but a complete circle? Unfortunately, from our place on the ground, you can’t see the whole circle, only half, which appears as an arch.  If you are lucky enough to be flying in a plane, over a rainbow, you may see the whole rainbow circle from the air. Here’s a video clip from some lucky skydivers who witnessed a full circle rainbow while skydiving over New Zealand. You must see this rainbow: https://youtu.be/0ejbaiUkfaE

Life Lesson #2 – Don’t put off doing the things that matter

You probably know that rainbows only stick around for a short time.  They reveal themselves to us and then they disappear as the sun moves or the rain stops. This is a vivid reminder that life is short and we shouldn’t delay in taking care of the important things in life or we might miss the chance. So, say the things you need to say and do the things you want to do before it’s too late. You don’t want to regret that you missed your chance.

Life Lesson #3 –  Don’t assume everyone sees things the way you do.

Did you know that no two people can see the exact image of a rainbow, even if they are standing right next to one another?  In fact, if you cover one of your eyes, and look at a rainbow, you’ll see it differently from each eye, based on the small amount of distance from eye to eye.  The only way for people to see the same exact rainbow image is to look at a photograph of a rainbow.  This is an important lesson because we often “see” things differently than others, even if we are looking at the same item. One person might look at a dress and think it’s beautiful while another might think it’s awful. It’s okay to have different opinions and viewpoints as long as we respect others.

Life Lesson #4 – The best things in life aren’t things at all.

Did you realize that you can never touch a rainbow?  No one can. I imagine that a rainbow would feel warm and silky.   But alas, I’ll never know because a rainbow is a bit of an optical illusion. It is a band of refracted or bent light and you can’t actually touch light. I think we can all agree that the best parts of life are the love and friendship that we share with the people in our world. You can’t really “touch” love or friendship or compassion or caring, but you certainly know how it makes you feel 🙂

Life Lesson #5 – Savor those special moments in life

A single rainbow is special because you need the right circumstances to see one, but under perfect conditions, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the elusive double or triple rainbow. Yes, they exist and they are pretty amazing. The lesson here is that we need to savor, cherish, and celebrate those exceptionally rare and special moments in our lives because they don’t come along that often.  

I need to share this YouTube video of the most amazing double rainbow and the emotional reaction of the man who was fortunate enough to witness it. You don’t want to miss this. It has over 46 million views. It will definitely make your day: Double Rainbow Guy

Life Lesson #6 – Look for something good in every situation.

It’s pretty cool that rainbows only show up when there is rain. This relationship sends a strong message that you can always find something good, even when life isn’t perfect. In other words, sometimes you need to weather the storm to find the rainbow on the other side.

Life Lesson #7 –  Even though we are different, we can still agree on a few basic things.

A rainbow is known as the universal symbol of hope and beauty.  Regardless of our age, gender, religion, political affiliation, education, etc., I believe we can all agree that a rainbow is magical and beautiful. In a world with over 7.7 billion people, there will always be many differences among us. If we were all the same, our world would be pretty boring. We all share this earth and therefore, the least we can do is respect each other’s cultures and beliefs and strive to make the world a better place for everyone.

Lesson #8 – Have faith and trust in God.

For those of us who are Christians and believe in the teachings of Jesus and the bible, a rainbow has a very deep and special meaning.  The very first rainbow appears in the book of Genesis. A rainbow represents God’s promise to never flood the earth again. As Noah and his family emerged from the arc after almost a year, God sent down a brilliant rainbow as the symbol of this promise to mankind. Some cultures believe that rainbows are bridges from heaven. In my opinion, rainbows are so beautiful and amazing that they must be messages from God.

I’m attaching one of my favorite rainbow photos. My husband and I were attending a Baltimore Ravens pre-season football game on August 10, 2017 and this rainbow showed up right before the game time. I think God might be a Baltimore Ravens fan too!