Living On The Rainbow
Are you choosing to live your life over, under or on the rainbow?
Recently, a good friend of mine was reflecting on his week and how it had gone. To paint a vivid visual, he told me that he felt like he was living his life on the rainbow. I was intrigued. It was not until I gave this concept some considerable thought that I really understood what he was saying.
Being on the rainbow is the sweet spot.
This means being in alignment with our thoughts and values, it means finding a sense of balance and joy that emanates organically from the inside out, and it means having the kind of moment, day or life that we most desire. Living life on the rainbow permits us to see our world realistically, close up and in bold color. If we are perched on the rainbow we are experiencing both that which we love and that which we may not. Either way, we are living in the moment, focusing on the Technicolor and enjoying the process of life, not contingent on outcomes as much as on the journey itself. Living on the rainbow affords us front row seats to commit to ourselves and to make positive and powerful choices from a a place of consciousness and not from a place of fear.
If being on the rainbow is the ideal, what does being over the rainbow indicate? Like Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz, living life over the rainbow allows us to create unrealistic expectations of how we want our days to be. Dorothy searches to escape her environment, but once she does, she longs to be back home once again. Living an over the rainbow life promotes a "the grass is always greener" viewpoint steeped in a state of pretend and disconnected from the truth around us. Like the Tin Man without a heart, the Scarecrow without a brain, and the Cowardly Lion without courage, allowing ourselves to camp out over the rainbow keeps us in such a dream like state that we remain out of sync within our own worlds. All three characters possess and demonstrate all the characteristics that they most desire; yet they cannot see that for themselves. Living an over the rainbow life may appear to be carefree, but a reality check tells us that never understanding how unique and special we are can keep us always wanting more, or craving something else that we don't think we already innately possess. Living over the rainbow robs us of really enjoying our lives because we may feel that we are never worthy of love, never smart enough or brave enough. Our fears guide our decisions. Unless we learn to face the fears, we often are not making any decisions; at least none that allow us the freedom to evolve and change.
The song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," casts a false illusion of life with lyrics that lull us into believing that this is a place "where dreams that we dare to dream really do come true," or that "troubles melt like lemon drops." Our dreams come true when we demonstrate commitment and discipline in taking action to make them come true. The reality is, if our troubles melted like candy, we would never be motivated to take action to make things better or to learn from setbacks. Learning how to negotiate the downhill may be a less desirable but significant component of our own personal growth. Like Dorothy, we remain trapped in Oz and forever searching for a way out.
Living under the rainbow is similar to "being in the forest and missing the trees." We may be surrounded with beauty all around us, but when we live under the rainbow we may be just going through the motions of life, not the experience of life itself. Bogged down with being busy, what we need to accomplish, where we need to be, and always being "on" in the world of social media, we may miss what is in front of us. We see the stunning rainbow, but we may be more inclined to take a picture of it and post it rather then to take the time to sit back and enjoy the actual beauty of being surrounded by it. Living under the rainbow can lead to dissatisfaction and limitation in our lives. We may want to be on the rainbow, but we may not know how to navigate the challenges in our lives long enough to appreciate what we have accomplished. Are we so busy living our lives and running from thing to thing that we lose the connection to ourselves and to what is really important?
Unfortunately, I was just recently at a friend's father's funeral. What impressed me during his service was the genuine celebration of the man. A man I did not know, but would have loved to have known, because he was a fearless example of a life well lived.
Living our lives does not always equal a life well lived.
Leading a life well lived requires us to show up no matter what, to be present and engaged, to make choices to keep evolving, and to recognize that while everything may not always be perfect, this is the life we have. We might as well choose to live it in color!
Where are you spending your time? As for me, I like being on the rainbow. Great view!
