A stop sign.
A rainbow.
An intersection.
One forces you to put on the brakes, one shows you the beauty after a storm, and one presents you with choices, any of which could take you in an entirely new direction.
Coming home from a baseball game a few weeks ago, I encountered all three of these in one place.
The perfectly placed rainbow between the stop sign and the intersecting street signs seemed to be sending me a message:
"Stop and pause; reflect on the beauty of your life after the storm. But then you have to choose. Which way are you going to go?"
I reflected for a moment on the storms I have been through in life.
It's been a roller coaster of amazing, life-changing, beautiful, terrifying, challenging experiences that collectively make me who I am today.
And then I thought about the rainbow that has been the result of those storms.
My wonderful boys, rewarding career, supportive friends and close family, and the beautiful home that hard work and perseverance has allowed me to own.
There is not a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow though.
And in reality, I don't think any of us should expect one.
Life is hard.
There are curveballs and potholes and rocks in our paths. We need to expect those and to a certain extent, be prepared for them. At least mentally.
We need to store up the feelings we get from the good times, the little things every single day that we can find joy in and be grateful for, and build a fortress of positive perspective.
We can battle almost anything with the right attitude.
And when presented with an intersection after we've put on the brakes and paused to reflect, we have to make a choice.
Which direction do we want to go next?
The beautiful thing about this choice is that every one of us can make a different one. And none of them are wrong.
We can always double back, course-correct, find another intersection, or even just stop and rest awhile on the way.
As long as there is forward motion and we're taking steps in the direction that we want our lives to go, we're on the right path. And we should never let any one tell us any different.
So today, when you are going about your life, put on the brakes for just a moment and find your rainbow.
See all of the things that make it colorful and vivid and striking.
And then look ahead of you at the next intersection in your life that is presenting you with a choice.
Make the one that is right for you.
Not the one that someone else is telling you to make, or that you think would make other people happy.
And most importantly, whether you choose to turn left or right....
Don't forget to use your turn signal!