Bowled Over

I saw one of the most stunning rainbows I have ever seen on the way home from work today.

• It was a full semicircle, bright and bold all the way around
  
• The main bow was double (shading from red outside to purple inside, and then another red-to-purple band began)
  
• There was a second, paler bow outside the main one, separated by a gap
  

I was trying to gawk as I sped along the rain-slick freeway. I was concentrated-- like I get when focusing on a fine-motor task like threading a needle-- just so I could maximize my gawk time while still driving (relatively) safely. So gorgeous! Like a fairy paint stripe across the world, or a momentary error in letting light through from some other dimension.

We imagine rainbows being far away because of course we can't literally get the pot of gold. But near the horizon, the rainbow actually passes in front of the buildings and other objects. It is an effect in the air, after all. It can't be blocked by a building.

Most of all, I love the fact that everyone sees a different rainbow. The effect occurs at a particular viewing angle, which must be different for every person just because they are standing in a slightly different place. So when we gaze together at the rainbow, it is not a single thing "out there," it is more as if it is a different thing "in here" for each of us.

And at the aesthetic level, that is true of any experience.

I mentioned this experience to a friend, who commented that rainbows are wonderful because they give people an excuse to smile and chat. Normally we pass each other on the street with our eyes down, barely noticing each other. But it is perfectly socially acceptable to point out a rainbow to a total stranger, saying, "Look at that! Isn't it neat!?"

Rainbows seem to serve no purpose but to be beautiful and make people smile and communicate.