“I’ve had so many rainbows in my clouds. I’ve had a lot of clouds, but I have had so many rainbows.”
We often remember this famous quote from the late Dr. Maya Angelou: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” What we don’t always realize is that it was not just selflessness or her incredible spirit that motivated her to live by those words; it was also the support from those who’d been her rainbows. She paid it forward and encouraged us to do the same. Today this resonates with me because I haven’t posted one of these in awhile. Not since I moved. Not since I began this new life that is exciting and draining and amazing and exhausting all at once. I’ve been so wrapped up in that that I haven’t had the motivation to motivate others. Or perhaps it felt like no one was listening, so no one would notice if I stopped shouting into the void every Monday. |
When I step up on a stage, I bring everyone who has ever been kind to me with me. So I don’t ever feel I have no help. I’ve had rainbows in my clouds.
It was so off-hand, so casual the way I received that vote of confidence, but it came in loud and clear: if I can inspire even one person each week, it’s worth it to write this column. If Kierst is the only person who reads this, I will be happy.
That part of Maya Angelou’s message to us is not only about what we do for others, but also what they do for us. She says, “One of the things I do, when I step up on a stage, when I stand up to translate, when I go to teach my classes, when I go to direct a movie, I bring everyone who has ever been kind to me with me. […] So I don’t ever feel I have no help. I’ve had rainbows in my clouds. And the thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so that you can be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”
This week, don’t just act as a rainbow in someone’s clouds. Find a way to thank yours. They otherwise may never realize how important they’ve been to you. Dr. Angelou’s words were not just about selflessness; in fact, they may have been more about humility.