Sitting in traffic, I glance to my left and see water being reflected onto three thick, concrete pillars that hold up the highway overpass. It rained yesterday, and flashes of sunlight bounce along the top of large mud puddles in the construction zone. I am sitting in a long line of stopped cars waiting for a dump truck to move out of the way. But as I sit in my car, I am awed by the beauty of a simple reflection. The light bouncing off the puddles dances against the concrete with shimmering rainbows. Yellow, blue, green and orange sparkle against the gray concrete pillars as if they are illuminated by a disco ball half buried in the mud. The light is so bright the rainbow colors flash against the concrete of the highway far above me.
The dump truck finally moves and the road crew waves traffic forward. I’m actually sad that I need to move away from the spectacular light show under the overpass.
These are the moments my daughter has taught me to look for. I could have glared at the dump truck blocking the road and complained about the constant road construction that makes navigating traffic even harder. Instead, a flash of sunlight in a large mud puddle caught my attention and for several minutes I was transfixed by its simple beauty.
I can fixate on her illness, or I can focus on the joy she exudes every day, despite her struggles.
Focusing on joy and beauty doesn’t ignore the reality of illness, or of muddy dump trucks. They are both frustrating. But they are not the only reality.
Next to a traffic jam due to road construction, there is a light show created by sunlight and mud puddles.
Pay attention, or you’ll miss it.