My life is like a kabuki brush in a toilet.

So yesterday I’m standing at my bathroom vanity preparing myself for a day of errands. Let me first say that even casual Sunday errand running requires “preparation.” My mom always told me that it doesn’t take a lot of time to slap on some blush and mascara before heading out even for the most mundane of trips because you never know who you’re going to run into and you don’t want to be caught looking like death when you’re out in public, flaunting that you’re alive and well.

Anyway, I digress…

So here I am, digging through my makeup bag trying to find my kabuki brush. For those of you not well versed in makeup jargon, a “kabuki” is a fat little brush with only a little nub for a handle – nice for full coverage and high on the adorable makeup tool scale. So I’m digging and like a slippery fish fighting for its life, the brush goes flying out of my hand, across the bathroom and into the only water supply available… the toilet.

Two things went through my head – first, “I did flush the last time I was on that thing, right?” And second, “of course I flushed – go save your adorable kabuki before it goes kaput!”

I bravely grabbed the bobbing brush and ran in circles panicking over the fact that a brush that is consistently rubbed all over my face, just took a dip in a pool that consistently has a view of my butt. After the minor meltdown, I’m reminded that toilet water is very much like a dog’s mouth, probably the most sanitary place in the joint, so I calmly wash it down with cleanser and leave it out to dry – crisis averted. Plus, it needed a good scrub anyway; the brush still had remnants of my darker glow from last summer, so it was time for a refreshing overhaul.

(And if you know me, spare me the humor, and please don’t ask me if that’s “toilet glow” on my face the next time you see me. Just watch, toilet water may be the next fountain of youth and people will be dunking kabuki brushes in toilets across the country.)

Why do I tell you this story? For giggles? Perhaps. But more importantly, this little incident comes with a life lesson…

I’ve had a tough past couple of weeks – just the typical growing pains of a young adult mixed with the stresses of wedding planning. I like to think of myself as the cute little kabuki brush; always giving full coverage to friends and family and ensuring that every issue is taken care of. But every now and again, I get thrown in the toilet – sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident.

Either way, we’ve all felt at some point in our lives like things were going down the proverbial “toilet.” It stinks. No pun intended. Okay, okay, pun intended.

But here is what you have to keep in mind – toilet water is pretty sanitary and all you need is a quick cleanse to bring you back to life… in fact, a swim in the toilet may force you to rinse off some of your past so you can start embarking on a sparkling future.

If I hadn’t dropped my kabuki in the toilet, it would still have remnants of old powder, germs and other pore clogging wee-beasties. After this bathroom incident, although traumatizing for a moment, my brush is now cleaner than ever and I’m sure my zit-free skin will thank me.

So my life lesson for today, although inspired by a makeup brush and toilet, is something to take to heart:

Know that sometimes it takes a stressful, "thrown in the toilet" situation to really cleanse you and bring you back to your original form, because you don’t realize how much dirt and grime you’ve picked up along the way.

Go forth. Be strong. And don't forget to flush.