Sometimes it feels as if the world is moving faster and faster, and I slower: that society is becoming more complex as my need for simplicity grows.

That's how I was feeling on a recent Friday evening as I drove through the congested, rainy streets of Oakland, Shadyside and Highland Park. I was on my way home from a rather difficult week at work.

My weekend also seemed overwhelming. There was the cooking, cleaning and laundry to do; bills to pay. But added to my usual mix were income tax returns and the federal college financial aid form.

Even Saturday evening's get-together with friends seemed more like a chore than a pleasure. What I really wanted was to slow down, a time to relax and recharge. How, I wondered, would I find the time to do it all?

Then, as I continued my drive home, I saw a rainbow, a brilliant double rainbow, with both arcs wholly visible against the metallic gray sky. Rays from the setting sun illuminated the tall dark cumulus clouds, creating an atmospheric wonder that caused drivers to pull onto the berm and people to come out of their homes and stare skyward. I was among them.

The rainbow stayed with me as I made my way along Route 28 and Russelton Road, softening my pervading gloom.

Later that evening, as I watched the 11 o'clock news, the weatherman explained the atmospheric phenomenon: Falling raindrops act as prisms. As light passes through them, they are broken into a spectrum that produces the colors we see. The second rainbow occurs when the droplets are of a certain size to produce a second spectrum of color, allowing two bows to appear.

Of course, rainbows aren't really there, he noted. They are only "real" when viewed by the human eye. (Can animals see rainbows? I wondered.)

Saturday came and went, and I did the laundry, the cleaning and the cooking. The bills were paid, the income tax returns sent in, and the myriad questions on the financial aid form answered. My husband and I attended — and even enjoyed — Saturday night's party.

On Sunday, I took an evening walk. There is one stretch along the road where the sky is wide open, unlike the narrow patches that are usually visible from the curvy wooded back roads where I live. Although the sky was overcast, its openness reminded me of the rainbows.

It was then that I remembered the Negro spiritual that the poet Maya Angelou often refers to in her writing and speaking: How, when life becomes burdensome, "God puts a rainbow in the clouds."

Although the weatherman explained the conditions that make these atmospheric occurrences possible, I like to think the rainbow was there because I needed one.

Linda K. Schmitmeyer is a freelance writer living in Middlesex Township. Her e-mail address is lks260@zoominternet.net.