What Rainbows Are Teaching Me About Growth
We don't always notice who we are becoming while we're living through it.Looking back over the past few months, it's incredible to see how much our family has grown together. Some days feel ordinary, but when I pause to reflect, I realize how much has changed.
Over the past week, I published two YouTube videos that capture this season of our lives. One shares our adventure at Sea Life Park Hawaiʻi, where Summer experienced seeing fish, sea turtles, and marine life up close while creating another beautiful family memory. The other captures our first Fourth of July in Hawaiʻi at Magic Island, a day that truly made us feel like we are beginning to settle into island life.
Slowing Down Is Becoming More Natural
One of the biggest changes I've noticed is that slowing down is beginning to feel more natural. At first, it felt uncomfortable because I was so used to constantly moving. Now, I find myself embracing a slower rhythm and appreciating what I might have overlooked before.
The other day, I caught Will naturally throwing a shaka to someone as we drove by. It made me smile because it wasn't something he was trying to do. It simply happened. He also recently discovered 105.1 KINE, and our car drives have been filled with local Hawaiian music. These small moments remind me that becoming aloha isn't about changing overnight. It's about allowing yourself to slowly become part of the place you're learning to call home.
Learning About Rainbows Through My Daughter's Eyes
One of my favorite moments this week happened after we spotted multiple rainbows in a single day.
My daughter looked up and asked me how rainbows are formed. I realized I wasn't completely sure how to explain it, so we learned together.
A rainbow appears when sunlight shines through tiny water droplets in the air. After I explained it, she smiled and asked, "So it's sun and water?"
Her simple question made me realize that sometimes the most beautiful explanations are also the simplest.
Why Hawaiʻi Is the Rainbow Capital of the World
Living in Hawaiʻi has given us a whole new appreciation for rainbows.
Hawaiʻi is known as the Rainbow Capital of the World because it has the perfect combination of frequent rain showers, abundant sunshine, steady trade winds, dramatic mountains that lift moisture into the sky, and exceptionally clean air that makes every rainbow especially vibrant.
Sometimes it feels like we're driving through a magical portal into another world. Every rainbow brightens our mood and reminds us to pause, look up, and appreciate where we are.
I also learned that the Hawaiian word for rainbow is Ānuenue. In Hawaiian culture, rainbows symbolize spiritual connection, protection, guidance, and good fortune. They reflect the beautiful relationship between the land, the ocean, the weather, and spirit.
The Lesson Rainbows Are Teaching Me
As I reflected on everything we've experienced over these past few months, I realized we've been living our own version of a rainbow.
We are leaving one chapter to begin another
We are finding beauty in uncertainty
We are slowing down enough to notice everyday miracles
We are becoming new versions of ourselves without losing who we've always been
Rainbows only exist because sunlight and rain come together at the same time. Growth often works the same way. Some of life's most meaningful transformations are born from both joy and challenge. Beauty doesn't appear because life is perfect. It emerges through life's changing conditions when we choose to notice what is unfolding around us.
What Becoming Aloha Means to Me
Lately, becoming aloha has become much more than a phrase. It's becoming a way of living.
It reminds me to stay calm, grounded, peaceful, and present. It encourages me to reconnect with nature, breathe a little deeper, and release what no longer serves me.
As I continue this journey, I want to let go of fear, hurry, and the constant pressure to always be doing more. Instead, I want to nourish my life with love, joy, peace, safety, play, and purpose.
Becoming aloha isn't about becoming someone completely different. It's about creating the space to become more fully ourselves, one beautiful moment at a time.
Journal Prompt
Take a few quiet moments to reflect on your own season of becoming.How are both the sunshine and the rain shaping who you are becoming?