Color bombs. Who thought of such things? Who chooses to be part of such a whacky experience? Is it just creative chaos? Mass mayhem? Distraction or diversion for the despondent? A freeing of energy for the expressive? What a curiosity - explosions of color through the air and everywhere! A splashing of color free for all who happen to be nearby!
Presumably such an experience is orchestrated. Scheduled. Planned. And those who take part in it have some idea of what they're in for. Other delightful, playful, pleasing experiences just happen without the influence of humans. A hummingbird hovering near a pot of flowers. A rainbow stretching across a cloudy sky. An unplanned visit or phone call from a longtime friend. The splash of a dolphin surfacing in the surf nearby. A breath-taking sunset draping the horizon in a rich palette of deep pink, fiery orange, luscious purple. Such experiences too are free for all who happen to be alive and paying attention!
It's often the unplanned, unscheduled, unorchestrated moments of great joy that remind us of the marvels of life on this good earth. Such delightful surprises also remind us that there is a wild and unpredictable side to living. Brilliant and skilled as we humans can be, we do not run the universe. We don't even rule our little corner of the planet really. There is a vastness to life that is greater than our grasp. There are forces and energies and a vibrancy we cannot comprehend, much less control. There is mystery all around us and even deep within us. And it's all free for all!
Maybe color bombs release the magic in the moment for some. The gifts that come from beyond us without warning may certainly be considered miracles to look for and embrace! Such gifts surprise us and maybe even unnerve us a bit. But that's probably a good thing to have happen to us from time to time. For to see the sacred spin in the center of it all is to understand what Eugene Peterson has said, "God's unmanageable but irrepressible life is ever present and hidden within and around us. Unpredictably but most surely it breaks forth into our awareness from time to time. Holy. Holy. Holy. But don't expect to see it reported on the evening news." The holy present in all and free for all!