Raining Away

Do you ever stop to smell flowers? Sit back and watch the clouds? I’m a huge proponent of purposefully immersing oneself in nature (or lazily basking in the sunshine). About four years ago, I began practicing mindfulness formally as an anxiety-coping and sleeping technique. Mindfulness is being present in the moment, allowing all thoughts to come and go, or simply have no thoughts. Often, when I walk my dog, I don’t get my entertainment from my phone – I survey our surroundings, listen for birds, enjoy the fresh air, and marvel at my dog’s curiosity (or drag him from one of his many stops). By combining mindfulness and exercise, I’m able to escape life for a bit.

I got married in August 2022. My husband and I desired a memorable honeymoon trip to a far-flung destination neither of us traversed before, however we wanted to get some kind of honeymoon trip in, just in case COVID threw an unplanned curveball. He begged me for years to go on a cruise because he loved cruising and had a bad itch. A late-August Caribbean cruise wasn’t my ideal timing (prime hurricane season) but, since I started a new job ten days post-wedding, we ran away for a short four-night Bahamas cruise, treating ourselves to a balcony room. I spent many hours on that balcony, soaking in the warm, salty sea air and – thankfully – not worrying about impending hurricanes.
 
Every morning, I requested coffee service for our room so I could enjoy the early morning sun while my husband slept in. Every morning was picture perfect, bright blue skies and calm sea, scattered puffy clouds, warm salty air…
 
On the second morning, our balcony faced east heading to Nassau and the sun rose in the southern sky. As I prepared my coffee and myself for the day, a peculiar sight caught my peripheral through the balcony’s glass door: It was one-third of a rainbow embedded in a cloud. I zoned in on the unusual sight. It started at the horizon, expanding up into a smaller cloud raining itself out and shrinking by the minute, with a larger cloud in the background.
 
Immediately mesmerized, I took my coffee and iPhone 13 outside. I snapped a few photos with settings defaulted by the Camera app – 26 mm lens, ISO 50, f/1.6. Then I sat there, absorbing the sight before me – I tried waking my husband to enjoy it, too, but sleep weighed heavier. I stayed there until it disappeared. There are some moments you just have to savor yourself…
 
It’s one of my favorite photos from that trip and one of my all-time favorite weather photos. Mindfulness lets me find those little moments in nature most people miss and lets the weather come to me instead of me deliberating chasing it. Those moments are the best for any weather photography.