This month I’ve been enjoying a challenge on Instagram entitled “Inktober.” Participants create art each day based on a list of prompts. Some people are very strict about guidelines for themselves such as only using one medium or size in their work. I have created a variety of drawings and paintings, and I’m proud to say I’ve stuck with the challenge for 21 days so far. I love the incentive to create daily–something that’s crucial for artists or anyone who wants to hone a skill.

Yesterday’s prompt was “drain.” The watercolor work I painted is 9 x 12 inches.

My first thought when considering the word drain was “down the drain” in the most negative sense of the phrase. We’ve all heard about things–often money–going down the drain.

As I stared at the bold, bright colors of my abstract “drain,” I began to think of the opposite viewpoint. What if things going down the drain was positive? I mean sure, nobody wants to drop their diamond ring down the drain. But think about it differently. We WANT drains to work. When we first fill a tub with hot water, it’s great. Maybe a relaxing hot bath is just what we need. It’s calming and comfortable. But then, the water cools off. After a while, you want out and you want the water out. Empty bathtub. Thanks, drain!

The same goes for our circumstances. Sometimes, we’re fortunate enough to sit in some pretty pleasant circumstances. We are warm and comfortable. It’s just what we need. But then, something changes. It starts to get–well–less pleasant. It’s time to let the drain do it’s job.

Sometimes letting the lukewarm stuff go down the drain can be an opportunity to start again. Clean. Empty. Ready. Often we cannot control the speed at which things “cool down,” but we can control our attitudes and actions when they do. So enjoy those warm, comfy circumstances, and when they change–which they ALWAYS do–let them go down the drain and get ready to start again.