Drains and Sprinklers

When I was a little girl, my grandmother used two basic categories for people: sprinklers and drains.

Sprinklers were the people who embraced new ideas and spread them far and wide.

Drains were the people who sucked new ideas into dark places.

So, of course the phrase "don't be a drain" was one I heard quite often growing up. Anytime I whined, sighed, or generally complained, my grandmother would glance in my direction and mouth the word d-r-a-i-n. To be honest, it was a very frightening sight at the age of six.

And, although it may be crude to sort everyone on this earth into two categories, it sort of works. Doesn't it? 

Don't be a d-r-a-i-n. (Insert menacing glance here!)

CC Photo Credits:

Jumping into Summer by Adwriter

Flow Down by Daniel*1977