The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss

by Anderson Cooper

I have never let myself dwell on other people’s opinions of me. Perhaps they thought I was dabbling in acting, painting, or writing, but it doesn’t touch me. If that is what they think, so be it. You can never change their minds, so why waste time trying? Why agonize over it? Better to concentrate on more important things.

These thoughts pass. New projects appear unexpectedly, new adventures pull me back into life. My imagination takes charge, giving me strength to edit and reconstruct whatever the current situation happens to be; or I turn a corner and see something beautiful or someone extraordinary running toward me, arms outstretched, ready to fold me in an embrace.

Don’t edit your thoughts, feelings, and values to please someone else; express them as they truly are. This is really important and, alas, one of my great failings.

Make every effort to remain faithful; it will make you happier than you already are.

Oh, and marry someone who makes you laugh. This is perhaps most important of all.

“Be kind,” he wrote, “for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.”

The rainbow comes and goes. Enjoy it while it lasts. Don’t be surprised by its departure, and rejoice when it returns.

The searching, that’s what I think life is really all about.

Money can give you independence, but once you start chasing it, there will never be enough. No amount will make you feel whole or safe.

“You’re as good as the best thing you’ve ever done.”

At ninety-two, each day is a kind of celebration, a chance to read a new book, begin a new painting, or simply reflect on all she’s lived through. When she wakes up, she takes a moment to make a wish, then gets out of bed and makes it come true.