Happy Sunday, Reader!

Greetings from Sheboygan, where I am excited to finally share the painting that became the first official release of The Collector Club! Founding Collectors who joined in July received an exclusive Mini*Print of the art above and got to see it first. It's not available anywhere else, but you can buy it as a larger print or canvas. If you want to receive September's print, you have a week left — just sign up by August 30th! Now, onto the story behind this piece...

I could have stayed in the bathtub.

Way back when, after completing my schooling and earning a degree, the safe path was waiting for me. A decent job in my hometown. It wasn’t particularly exciting, but it was close enough to what I went to school for that I could rationalize it as making sense. I could have taken the job, gotten married, bought a house, and started collecting benefits.

It was tempting, and by most standards, the smart thing to do. The only problem is that I knew exactly what life in the bathtub would look like for the rest of my life.

I may have been shy and quiet, but I grew up observing people who decided to stay in the bathtub. Whether they rationalized it as a smart choice or insisted they didn’t have any others, I could always sense a certain sadness, simmering just below the surface.

Life outside the bathtub is fraught.

The ocean is vast. The edges disappear as the shoreline fades from view. The waves toss us around until we’re seasick. At times it feels like we’ll drown—or be swallowed by something much bigger than ourselves. The current carries us in directions we never would have chosen. It’s disorienting. Terrifying. Unpredictable.

Of course we prefer to remain in an environment we can control!

The problem is that it’s not much of a life.

The bathtub is safe, controlled, and predictable. But it’s also small. Constricting. Eventually the what-ifs become impossible to ignore. What’s outside these walls? What am I truly capable of? Where might I go if I ventured beyond the edge of what I can see?

I was the kid my relatives called a scaredy-cat. Honestly, not much has changed. I’ve never become especially brave or outgoing.

I just knew there was life beyond the bathtub.

Although I’m just a tiny rubber duck, I sensed I was made for a bigger shore, farther away than I could get to on my own.

So I put my trust in the One who made the water, the waves, and the wind.

That choice came with no certainty, no safety, and no benefits package. There were seasons when I felt lost at sea. Driftless. Doubtful. Overwhelmed. Afraid.

You know what? I still feel that way sometimes. There are always temptations to pull into a safe harbor somewhere and settle down. To quit while I’m ahead.

But I can’t go back now.

Since giving my life to the Creator of the ocean, I’ve seen things, accomplished things, and experienced things I never would have known had I stayed in the bathtub. I’ve been swept up in an adventure that’s been wonderful, beautiful, and breathtaking.

The decision isn’t to become adventurous.

The decision is to leave the bathtub.

Everything else follows.

We’re destined for a life beyond the bathtub.

Of course it isn’t safe. But it is good.

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Is it time for you to experience what life is like beyond the bathtub? Share your thoughts with me, join the conversation in The Wonderground, or spend time this week recording them in your journal.

Stay young and stay fun,

P.S.

Like the idea of receiving fun mail for a change? Join The Collector Club and we'll send you surprise & delight every month! Subscribe by August 31 to get the September print!

• ​Reusable Thrift Store Adventure Ideas​
• ​Big Bash For Little Elephants​
• ​The Importance of Water Balloons & a Wingman​
  ....read more in The Wonderground

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