I find that the beauty of ephemerality is ironically similar to the that of permanence. We mortals, viewing a work of art which has long outlived its creator, are confronted with our own fleeting existence. And when I gaze upon a moment of natural beauty, I feel the same.
Or maybe it’s just that some things are really cool in their own right.
But if a rose is just a rose, we’d lack the multitude of spiritual and mythological Rorschach impositions upon these events: where the leprechaun hides his gold, the path to the afterlife, a promise from God…etc. Sometimes, it’s harder to not find meaning in them.
Our house faces roughly E-S-E, which, being at about 39 degrees N latitude, translates to the direction opposite the setting sun from Spring to Fall. Upon the conclusion of a storm, at the onset of dusk, the alignment is perfect for rainbows.
They might be simple rainbows, but since their unusual frequency coincided with us purchasing the house, I can’t help but to apply a mortal’s predilection for symbolism. I say it’s good luck (although I really wish a pot of gold was involved too).
–Simon