Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Emotional Road Metaphor


First, a brief apology for being largely absent this week. I always feel guilty, but I am under dayjob crunch, so there you have it. I will get around as I can.

Pretty, but treacherous, this one...
And now the blog...

So it's like people are roads, right? And life is the car, driving along us. I know that sounds backward, but hear me out. Because honestly, I think that the PERSON is the less changing of the two and LIFE speeds up, slows down, changes gears, breaks down... and each of us sort of has a road style of how we are as life zooms over us.


This realization came upon me this weekend as I interacted with someone and realized they were a road with about an inch of standing water... life is ALWAYS a little harder, but if life gets too fast, then this person gets dangerous. (S)he needs to figure out a way to SLOW LIFE so the wheels can solidly rest again or that lack of connection to reality is going to cause a whole BUNCH of lives to crash all over him/her.


This is me. Not DULL, but not challenging, either.
Me? I am a nice four-lane through country that is enjoyable—so life isn't tempted to just speed through too fast, but I don't have a lot of ups and downs or twists and turns. Life can set cruise control and I'm not going to fell a log across the road or something. I'm probably a bit freaky in my evenness. One of my neighbors called me Job not long ago. (Job from the Bible, not to be confused with Steve Jobs which would make me happier—better uber creative than patient, but hey, you work with what you have)


Try to avoid being this... Though I have known people...
I know people who are gravel, always keeping life a little uncertain... people who are city streets, full of rules and predictability and order. I know a round-about or two. Most people are probably closer to two lane highways—good most of the time, but with occasional steep climbs that hold life back or twisting turns that make them slow down.

I'd even say some of my artist friends are more like canals—far more enjoyable on a nice day, but throw in a storm and HO-BOY!


So what kind of road are you? Your primary characters? Am I making sense?


16 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Think I'm on a long, straight, boring stretch of freeway running across Kansas...

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I think I would LIKE to be someone who is gravel...but is actually a city street. :)

Jan Morrison said...

I'm a twisty turny dirt road on the way to a cottage. I could be a little better in the safety and comfort department but hey! I like where I'm going and the twisty turny upsy downsys keeps scaredy cats from the door. yep.

Trisha said...

I'm a pretty straight road too, but there are lots of pretty scenes on either side of me as I whiz by ;)

Unknown said...

great metaphor...I am definitely a twisty turny road going around a mountain, ...can't see too far ahead, you know b/c of the mountain.

Tina said...

Wow. Gotta think about this one. Hmm...I think I'm a road in a swampy area. I'm navigable if the weather is good, but throw in a storm and I become covered in water and you have to wait out the storm. Of course there are sunny days, and you cruise on by. Or, friends come help divert the water and suck it up with a serious shop vac and then you can get through...
Tina @ Life is Good
http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Definitely a winding, mountain road. I try to take life slowly, and enjoy the view at each knew turn/twist. And I like to try to keep moving towards the top, even if I secretly hope I'll never find it. :-)

Old Kitty said...

I'm a footpath - a little overgrown here and there, a little underused, a little neglected at times but overall ever so handy to have around (and good for the environment! LOL!) Take care
x

Luanne G. Smith said...

Pretty sure I'm that two lane stretch of road that suddenly dead ends in a residential neighborhood. I gotta work on some goals I think. :P

Southpaw said...

I'm a scenic route. That sounds funny to say.

Hart Johnson said...

teehee--I love everybody's self analysis here!

Patti said...

That starts getting complicated... I suspect that the life I have and the life I present to people are very different.

I might have to go with a super congested freeway, where you try to zip around the traffic, exit the highway, take a little trip around the back roads to try to get through things more easily and more quickly... but in the end turn out in the exact same place behind the very same slow car...

Gina Gao said...

This is an amazing metaphor. I would say that I am a city street type of person.

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Helena said...

I'm a pretty even road without too many twists and turns, but I need a lot more off ramps for me and whoever's riding me lately.

Raquel Byrnes said...

I think I might be the kind with a rickety covered bridge that is out. :) Loved your analogy...such a hoot to visit.

JCS said...

I think I'm city streets...I'm all about rules and predictability. Perhaps I have water on my road too...who knows.