I was sitting on my back porch last Tuesday, nursing a lukewarm coffee and feeling like my whole life was stuck in a giant rut. You know that feeling when you’re working ten hours a day but your bank account stays the same and your mood just keeps dipping? That was me. I had just finished a stressful call with my boss about some missed deadlines, and I was staring at the grey, drizzly sky, wondering if I should just pack it all in and try something else.
Then the rain stopped. It didn’t get sunny right away, but the air felt different—thick and sweet. I looked up toward the old oak tree at the edge of the yard, and there it was. A massive, perfect rainbow was arching right over my neighbor’s roof. I’m not usually the type to get all emotional about weather, but I dropped my mug on the deck. It felt like someone had just slapped me across the face to wake me up. I stood there for a good ten minutes, just watching the colors fade, and for the first time in months, I felt this weirdly calm sensation in my chest.
What I figured out after looking into it
I started digging around that night because I couldn’t stop thinking about why I saw it right at that exact second. I’m telling you, it wasn’t just physics. I’ve lived in this house for five years and seen plenty of rain, but I never noticed a rainbow during a mental breakdown before. Here is what I realized about why it shows up when things are messy:
- It is a massive green light from the universe. Most people think it’s just luck, but I see it as a sign that you’re actually on the right track even if you feel lost. It’s like a “keep going” signal when you’re about to quit.
- The bridge analogy actually makes sense. In a lot of old stories, rainbows are bridges. For me, it felt like a bridge between the miserable version of me from ten minutes ago and a version of me that actually believed things could get better.
- New beginnings are real. It sounds cheesy, I know. But the rain has to happen first. You can’t get the colors without the storm. Seeing it right after my boss yelled at me made me realize that the “storm” in my life was just the setup for something actually decent.
A few days later, I finally got the courage to apply for that new position I’d been eyeing. I didn’t overthink it like I usually do. I just remembered that feeling of looking at the sky and seeing that color. It’s like the universe was telling me to stop being so scared of a little rain. I actually got an interview scheduled for next week. If I hadn’t seen that rainbow, I probably would’ve spent the whole week moping and ignored the job posting entirely.
People always try to overcomplicate these things with fancy words, but it’s pretty simple when you’re standing there in the mud. You see it now because you need to remember that the grey sky isn’t permanent. It’s a literal manifestation of hope that shows up exactly when your internal light is flickering out. I’ve started keeping a little note on my fridge now to remind me of that afternoon. Whenever I start stressing about bills or work, I just think about that arch over the oak tree. If you saw one today, don’t just take a photo for social media and move on. Sit with it. It’s trying to tell you that the hard part is over and you’re allowed to breathe again.
