Pot of Gold

Seattle is known for its high amount of rain in a given year and I was always filled with dread as I sat at home staring out the window waiting for the sun to come out. Still, one of the best parts of living in Seattle as a child is how frequently rainbows form in a given year. When they would form, my mom would always tell me about their existence. Rainbows were created when everything in nature fit together perfectly, for one moment, to create a brief moment of splendor. She would then proceed on telling me that for the small amount of time it became visible a small Leprechaun with a pot of gold existed on one end of the rainbow. Being a child the rainbow fascinated me. It captured my attention with its picturesque red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet pattern across the immense sky. Even more fascinating was the existence of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow guarded by its keeper, my little own leprechaun. Little did I know this Leprechaun would lead me on a journey that would give me the ability to chase after my dream.

During my childhood, I saw the leprechaun as a small man only 4 feet high, who wore green suit and pants, with a nice green top hat plus tiny green shoes for his tiny little feet. He was a stubby fellow, not too fat, but not too thin, and had a nice thick beard around his face. The leprechaun would also have a great big smile for his strong deep laugh, and on top of all of this he would have a cane he would swing around just for show, since my leprechaun was a gentleman. When I found my leprechaun he would be sitting on a tree stump smoking an old fashioned pipe releasing great big smoke rings into the air.

No matter how many times I saw a rainbow as a kid, I was always mesmerized. It became a representation of hope and renewal after a day of rain that seemed to never stop. At that instant, time seemed to wait, it waited for me to step out and head toward the destination that my heart desired to seek. Seek the gold and the Leprechaun. This quest to reach the end became an obsession and whenever I saw a rainbow I began to plan my journey. I would pack some snacks, water, and most importantly, chocolate. For some reason I believed Leprechaun's enjoyed chocolate and when I reached the end I could have a nice conversation with my leprechaun about his origin and how he came to obtain all of his gold. Also by giving him chocolate he might not be too disappointed over the fact that he had to hand over all of his gold to a little kid. My journey to find my little green friend had a certain problem though. I never was able to get anywhere because I never took any steps toward the end of the rainbow.

After packing my bags, and stepping outside, a wave of uneasiness froze me in place. For some reason I could not build up the courage to force myself to go after my dream of chasing after the leprechaun and his gold. Yet as a kid I feared the first step towards the yearning in my heart. My greatest fear was not getting lost, or abandoned, or even dying. It was the realization that at some point of my childhood, I was afraid of being unable to reach the end of the rainbow and never finding the leprechaun with his pot of gold. The greatest fear existed with the fact that at the end of the rainbow the dream I was longing for did not exist.