Is Life Really a Bowl Full of Cherries?
If you're new around these parts, I just want to say how much I appreciate your dropping by! Oh, and you may want to subscribe to my feed. Thanks, and a tip o' the hat to ya!
Next Monday we’ll be kicking off our next What I Learned From… groupwrite project. As promised, I’m announcing the topic today so those of you who are time-challenged can have more of that valuable commodity to write your entries.
Before I make the announcement, though, let’s start with a question: What, exactly, is a Metaphor?
Consider, if you will, the following statement:
A simile - or to be like something - is to retain some irresolvable difference which means one can never fully substitute for the other. On the other hand, a metaphor actually is a substitution - it is an equation in principle.
So for you wordsmiths out there, here’s what I’m talking about:
The statement, “Living in Texas is like I’d died and gone to heaven,” is what’cha call a simile (not to mention an example of your typical Texas Tourism Board ad copy). While it is no doubt certain that heaven is most definately a better place than, well, pretty much anywhere, according to this statement, in certain ways living in Texas is similar to living in heaven.
(Now, rather than regaling you with a list of the wondrous virtues, or bursting into song or anything, why don’t we just go with the fact that I’m biased - and let’s move on, shall we?)
This next statement, “Living in Texas is heaven,” though, is a metaphor. Notice the difference? Although not necessarily an exact substitution, the expression “living in Texas” is still roughly equivalent in principle to living in heaven, if you get my drift.
Generally speaking, when you see the word “like” or “as”, it’s usually a simile. A metaphor generally uses the word “is”. Got it?
Now, here’s where I announce this month’s topic:
Metaphors for Life
So what do I mean by Metaphors for Life? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually. All you have to do is just answer the question, What is life, to you?
Believe me when I say there is no shortage of life-metaphors out there! Want some examples?
When I searched Flikr for the phrase “life is a”, I found that life is, among other things, a: cabaret, a puzzle, a circus, a highway, a laugh, a beach, a suite, a carnival, a pleasant journey, a tree, a silly game, a beautiful monster, a bowl of lychee, a blur, a poem, a great big canvas, a mix, a struggle, and a dance. And that’s only from the first few pages of search results! Phew!
One thing to remember about life-metaphors; we all use ‘em because they help us understand and cope with life, you know? And, sometimes we have more than one in mind - depending on the day of the week, our time of life, or whether or not our bank account is in the black or not.
Do you find yourself running hard, but getting nowhere fast? Then life must be a treadmill. Or maybe it’s an icy surface. Could it be a slippery slope? Hey, you get the idea.
So for this month’s challenge you’ll (figuratively) finish the statement:
Life is a _(fill in the blank)_.
Go ahead and fill in the blank with anything your little pea-pickin’ heart desires, my friends. Then tell us why you chose that particular metaphor and what you learned from it. (By the way, you don’t have to stick to this exact form - feel free to present your thoughts any way you like.)
So get ready, folks - we officially kick off the next groupwrite project on Monday, August 4th!
__________________
Image credits: Life is a Bowl Full of Cherries, by nicole
“Metaphors for Life” montage created from Spell with Flikr, a truly nifty little gizmo created by Erik Kastner
__________________
You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!
14 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
I definitely like that project!
Ulla Hennigs last blog post..The Colours of Summer
[...] Image by TeeJe via FlickrRobert Hruzek just announced the topic for his monthly group project — Life is a _________. [...]
So it’s not a WILF but a Life Is project…? That’s good - keeping us on our toes. Just when we think we know what we will be doing at the beginning of any given month you go and change the rules!
Like the challenge - now looking for the inspiration..
Jackie Camerons last blog post..Word of the week - encourager
Bob,
I’ve been slacking lately on the WILF projects the last couple months, but I’m ready to dive back in on this one! You’ve got me excited to take part!
Eric Petersons last blog post..4 Steps to Help You Knock "It" Out of the Park
@Ulla - I can’t wait to see where this one takes folks… Ought to be quite enlightening, don’t you think?
@Jackie - You should know by now you can’t take anything for granted here at the Zone, Jackie!
@Eric - Yes, and shame on you, Buddy! I look forward to seeing your entry, Eric
[...] Robert Hruzek for giving me a chance to explore this topic as part of his Group Project for August, Life Is a __________. A very cool topic it is! If you’ve got time, I sure hope you’ll make a [...]
[...] is a contribution to the Life is ______ project of Robert Hrhuzek at [...]
[...] post is a contribution to Robert Hruzek’s writing challenge Metaphors for Life. For me life is a fascinating mystery. What metaphor would you use? Please share your thoughts in [...]
[...] I announced the topic last Monday, rather than repeat myself, please go back and check it out. On the other hand… what the [...]
Robert,
This WILF should be especially fascinating! Grand idea for a topic!
Jeanne
I’m looking forward to it too, Jeanne! I can’t wait to read the entries this time.
Robert Hruzeks last blog post..What I Learned From… Metaphors for Life
A Day for 8: Life is Like a Game You Cannot Lose…
So, for goodness sake, play the hand you’ve been dealt! Preface: This posting started off as a contribution to Robert Hruzek’s writing challenge, What I Learned From…Metaphors for Life: Is Life Really a Bowl Full of Cherries? I write about…