There is no rainbow after the storm
The rain finally stops, but you do not feel victorious.
You are just standing there, covered in mud, looking at the mess around you.
We are conditioned to expect a reward for our struggles. We think that if we suffer through a massive storm, the universe owes us a beautiful ending to make up for it. We wait for the rainbow.
But expecting a prize only makes the aftermath feel harder.
When things go wrong, they rarely happen one by one. It rains, and then it pours. Your career, your relationships, your mental health, everything catches the downpour at the exact same time.
During those moments, it is easy to feel completely swallowed by the dark. But a storm is just weather. It has no agenda, and it is not going to rain forever. Eventually, it simply runs out of water.
The sky clears, and the sun comes out.
The problem is, when the sky finally clears, we expect a magical shift. We want to feel immediately inspired or enlightened. We want a silver lining that makes the pain worth it.
But real life is clumsy.
Most of the time, the silver lining is invisible. Maybe after a couple of years, you will look back and understand why it happened, what you learned from it, and how you grew after. But right at that moment? You are just left standing in a wet, messy reality.
When you get through a hard season, you might not feel strong. You might just feel incredibly tired.
And that is just how it is. It’s realistic.
You do not need a colorful sky to validate what you just went through. You do not need a beautiful prize to prove that you are resilient.
You don’t have to look for a rainbow. Just seeing the sunlight is good enough.
Seeing the sunlight means the downpour has stopped. It means the worst is behind you, and you made it through. That alone is a massive achievement.
Instead of looking up at the sky for a sign, look down at your feet. It is about finding your footing again. It is about knowing that the ground beneath you is solid, even if it is currently a bit muddy.
If there is a rainbow later? Then it is your lucky day. But do not waste your remaining energy searching for it.
You do not have to figure everything out today. You do not have to clean up the entire mess this afternoon. You just have to get through the mud, take one heavy step at a time, and let yourself soak in the sunlight again.
I hope you find this insightful, remember:
It’s not gonna be easy
But it’s not impossible
Your friend,
Brian