The End of the Rainbow

I originally posted this back in March.

It's one of my favorites, so I thought I'd

bring it back for a re-visiting!

"There was a cartoon in the New Yorker portraying a man running toward the end of the rainbow only to see a pot of baked beans there. Whenever I think of striving for some- thing I think of that image and realize it's time to stop, breathe, and remember there's beauty in the ordinary. Recently I visited a dear old friend. His sense of gra ciousness and ritual was as I remembered. I had men tioned that I wanted only fruit and tea for breakfast, and I arrived to a neatly set table with an orange, and apple on a plate beside a knife, a mug, and a newspaper on the same green tablecloth I had sat at 25 years before. I also saw the same bookshelves, the same tables, the same dishes, and the same couch as before. In a passing moment, a painful image flashed through my mind of the thousands of dollars I had spent on such items over the years and how little they mattered. How peaceful it was to be with him in this uncluttered home. I hold that image as I struggle to detach from wanting more things.

I went through a period of buying lots of pretty things in a compulsive way. I would buy something, and then after I had enjoyed it for a little while, I would start think ing about the next thing I would buy. One day a catalogue came in the mail with pictures of beautiful quilt covers, and I started to fill out the order form. Then a part of me said, "No, stop." And as if I were led, I walked upstairs to my bedroom and sat down on my plain, natural cotton comforter and rubbed my hand over it. I said to myself, "Isn't this beautiful? It's mine, it's paid for, and it's restful. It is enough." Again and again I need to quell my restless mind and remind myself, This is enough.

So next time you sit down to a simple supper, crawl into a cozy bed, have a warm chat with a friend ~ imagine that you are at the end of the rainbow. This is it. This is life, and it's wonderful just in this moment." ~~~~ Excerpts from Finding Joy: 101 Ways to Free Your Spirit and Dance With Life by Charlotte Davis Kasl, Ph.D Copyright 1994 paintings by Christeen Swan ~~~~ I love those last few lines!