Wander logo

A Rare Sight In Paradise

A good omen in an uncertain situation.

By Jaye Ruggiero-CashPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
12

It’s not every day you see a double rainbow, even in paradise.

But it’s one of those sights that always stands out in any situation, good or bad.

This double rainbow happened right after New Year’s 2014; my family and I were on our annual Christmas vacation on the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands, something we all looked forward to every year.

At this point, we were all getting ready to go home. And as we were about to leave, literally as we were boarding our ferry to go to the airport, we got an alert that our flight was cancelled due to heavy snow back in the states.

Now, extending a vacation is something everyone wishes they could do. And being stuck on a tropical island for an extra few days might sound like a dream come true. But hey, getting stranded anywhere is nerve wracking. Forgive the pun, but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.

For one thing, it’s kinda hard to enjoy a vacation when you don’t have a place to stay. And blowing a bunch of money you didn’t plan on spending just to find one is no fun either.

Our typical setup consisted of some of us staying in the house my stepmom’s parents owned (the Stone House), while the rest of us stayed in the place next door (the Villa Colorado), since there were about 20 of us altogether and we couldn’t all fit in one place.

By the time we found out that our flight was cancelled, we’d just checked out of the Villa Colorado and we couldn’t go back there because there was another family coming in right after us. So we were scrambling to find both another flight home and another place to stay in the meantime.

And as much as we loved the idea of extending our vacation, we all had things to get back to at home. My dad and stepmom obviously had to get back to work. My brother and stepbrother were still in high school at the time, and there was some concern that they might miss too many days of school. My stepsister was a freshman in college; she was planning on going through sorority recruitment before her next semester started and was worried that she might not make it back in time for that.

Meanwhile, I was a sophomore in college. And even though I didn’t have to be back at school for another few weeks, I did have to be back home to do a teaching observation assignment at my old high school.

I was supposed to do 10 days of observation as part of my Music Education major. But because I couldn't get back from vacation in time, I wasn’t gonna be able to do that. So I emailed my professor to explain my situation and ask what I should do. That professor gave me a snooty response that basically said, “Well now you won’t be able to complete the full 10 days of observation. What do you plan to do about it?” And in my head I was like, “…that’s what I’m asking you??”

So yeah, we were all freaking out a little. Everyone was stressed out and thrown off by the whole situation, and worried that it could somehow end up getting worse. But as we were sitting there trying to come up with a new plan, looking for flights and a place to crash, this double rainbow showed up.

And as we stopped and took it in, it was like for a second we all forgot about our stress, and all our worries started to fade.

And after that, everything worked out fine. Even though we couldn’t get a flight home for another 5 days, we did end up staying in a super nice place near the Stone House, and we all had a great time there!

And then we all eventually got back to our lives. My brother and stepbrother only missed a few days of school, no big deal. My stepsister made it back to school in time for recruitment.

I was able to do most of my required observation days, and then dropped my Music Ed major once I got back to school. I was already planning on doing that anyway, but that response from my professor was the final proof I needed to know that it was the right choice. And after I finally did it, I felt good, like another double rainbow showed up!

This still stands out as one of the most eventful and memorable vacations I’ve ever had. Definitely a hard one to forget! And that double rainbow ended up being a welcome distraction and a much-needed good omen. It was like the universe’s way of saying, “It’s all good.” Not just in that moment, but going forward afterward.

nature
12

About the Creator

Jaye Ruggiero-Cash

Writer | Poet | Musician | Actor | Model

Lover of all things arts & humanities

Gluten-Free Foodie

"When we are shaped by the sounds and shades of truth, the colors never fade."

Join Vocal+ with my link

Follow Me!

Instagram

TikTok

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments (1)

Sign in to comment
  • Celia in Underland5 months ago

    Loved this! Nature has such a beautiful way of soothing the soul 🤍

Find us on social media

Miscellaneous links

  • Explore
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Support

© 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.