I’ve always daydreamed about rainbows. I’ve loved them since I was a little girl. Not that loving rainbows is very unusual for little girls. Rainbows, hearts, and unicorns, right? I remember my mom asking me what color I wanted my room. Without skipping a beat I shouted, “Rainbow”! And she was like, “Oy”.
She managed to create the best rainbow room ever. She found wallpaper printed in multi-colors like a step-and-repeat on a red carpet — RAINBOW RAINBOW RAINBOW. She custom made window treatments with multiple colored handkerchiefs. She filled my room with different colored accessories like a green lamp, a purple rug, and she painted each drawer on my dresser a different color too. It was perfect.
Maybe it’s because I’m a Libra, but I simply didn’t want to choose one color. I couldn’t possibly settle on just one. And so my fascination with rainbows had begun. I believe that also marked my commitment to seeing all the colors in people and the numerous sides of every story.
To quote Kermit, “Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side? Rainbows are visions. They’re only illusions. And rainbows have nothing to hide.”
I believe this is one of the reasons the rainbow flag is an ideal symbol for the LGBT community. They wave it with pride demonstrating that a person should be free to be ALL of their colors. They should never feel they have to hide who they are. Their every color is beautiful, every color is true.
And there’s something else I like about rainbows that is occurring to me just now . . . When we draw a rainbow on a piece of paper we do not use black or white. I’m not making a scientific claim about anything and yes, I know white is the absence of color and black is all colors. But I just mean when my six-year-old self got out crayons and paper to draw a rainbow, I used red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Any arguments over black and white have no place in a rainbow.
Rainbows represent dreams, hope, and awe. That notion of wondering what’s on the other side, what’s at the foot, keeps us gazing at them. Rainbows make promises. And as every year passes I wish the treasure at the foot of each rainbow will be peace and acceptance and love for all faiths, all countries, all orientations, and all mankind.
“One day we’ll find it – the Rainbow Connection – the lovers, the dreamers, and me.”
Photo Credit: Robby Benson