Chasers of Rainbows

April 23, 2026

One day last week, I was driving home around 7 pm when I glanced out the passenger's window and saw a stunning rainbow stretched fully across the sky, glowing in front of dark gray storm clouds that were rushing away to the east. I was approaching a stop light. Left was the way home, where various chores awaited... but right was the way to the rainbow. My husband was driving behind me, and I knew that if I turned right, he was going to think I had lost my mind.

For a split second, practicality made its case: Don’t be silly; go home, you have stuff to do. But then another question darted into my mind: Am I a person who chases rainbows, or am I not? Once I framed it that way, the answer was easy.

For kids and grownups alike, this can actually be a helpful way to make all kinds of decisions. When the moment comes to act, it helps to ask not just What do I feel like doing? but Who am I? Am I a person who tells the truth? Am I a person who helps? Am I a person who persists when times are hard? Am I a person who stops to notice the beautiful things around me? We build identity one choice at a time for our entire lives. The clearer we are about who we want to be, the easier it becomes to know what to do in the moment, to give ourselves evidence that we are, in fact, that sort of person.

I hope the kids in your world grow up thinking of themselves as people who seek what is bright and good and full of wonder. It’s our job to show them that delight is often worth the detour.

—Debra Ross, publisher

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