Analogical

I love a good analogy.  Maybe because I am a visual person; analogies help me see a picture in my mind.  Maybe because I appreciate good word play.  For whatever reason, I love ’em.  And for months now, I have been keeping track of some of my favorites that have popped up on the blogs I follow.  There are some very clever writers out there!

So for your reading and thinking pleasure, here are some summaries of analogies that have caught my attention.  I encourage you to check out the original posts for the full vision.

Cammy stumbled upon a weight loss/maintenance parallel while washing windows.  “Life happens and every now and then we’ll likely need to do a little cleaning up, a bit of polishing here and there. Maybe not all of our issues at once. Maybe not all in the same year. But we’ll never reach a point where we can say, ‘There. I’ll never have to do that again.’”

Diane shares lessons from the zoo and sees her former obese self and her current active self in the animals.  She never wants to go back to being the hippo!

Anna found similarity in her recent job change and weight loss.  “…my relationship with food is more like my relationship with the job I’m leaving. I know it’s not the best thing for me, I know living a life of eating healthy and exercising leads to a longer, happier life, and yet I struggle with letting go.”

Sharon found her inner strength thanks to a tree struck by lightening.  “Strength comes from within and it is from within that we find life.  It is from within that we find wisdom to change and courage to ask for the things we need.”

Tami lay awake in bed after technology issues with her computer and realized how that situation with her laptop was also a metaphor for living a healthy lifestyle.  “I am doing so many things right and with just a few tweaks here and there, and perhaps throwing out something that isn’t quite working, I can extend my years of optimal health and enjoy those years even more since I will be at my peak performance!”

Bobbie had an anniversary epiphany about how similar marriage is to being on a weight loss journey.  One of her several points is that “You have to be willing to make some sacrifices and concede at times.”

Lisa found a great lesson in a story about a little boy shoveling snow, clearing a huge pile.  “We can all succeed with one little shovel full at a time.  It will add up and look like a snowplow did the work….but we will know that it took one little step in the right direction over and over and over.”

Shira was reminded of life after weight loss while watching the series finale of Lost.  For many viewers, the ending “wasn’t what they wanted or expected after years of devotion.”  But as Shira so succinctly put it – “Life doesn’t’ magically change.”

Genie found her analogy to dieting thanks to a parenting goof.  She wrote that there is “no value in beating myself up for messing up, including eating a big, unplanned bowl of cereal last night shortly before going to bed. Pay more attention and do better next time… learn!”

Jan found her analogy in a discussion with her father about the vagaries of church attendance and the realization that we need to practice “ordinary time” – “…practicing throughout the year; practicing forever.”

Cheryl paints a great visual of boxing techniques and how they can be used to make progress when experiencing challenges reaching your goals.  Flexibility is key.  “Don’t get so locked into the route you’re taking to get to your destination that you miss your big move… Don’t let a little pop to your ego derail you from staying in the ring long enough to get the win.”

Anne wondered what would happen if she approached her relationship with food and how she eats with the same energy as her relationship with sleep.  “It seems SO simple when I look at it like this.  To me, it was profound, a huge light bulb moment, an AH-HA! moment.”

Kirsten realized that the grass really isn’t greener in her neighbor’s muddy yard or in how she was treating her own body.  “How many times am I going to replant before getting what I want? What can I do today to stop muddying my journey with self-sabotaging thoughts and choices?”

Dawne’s analogy of how an elephant is tamed compared to the power of food in her life is incredibly powerful.  “…years later, the giant elephant remains held in bondage by something that really has no power to control him, except the power he chooses to give it.”

Melinda drew many great lessons from her recent participation in a triathlon.  She sums it up with this one:  “Don’t give up.  You can finish the race, too.  And through the eyes of a child, we’re a hero no matter if we come in first place or last.”

Siobhan asked how dieting is like housework.  “You can do an awesome job getting it all done one day and the next day you have to do it all over again.”

Sunny made me smile when she said, “I always, always make very conscious decisions about the worthiness of eating less than healthy food or even portions of healthy food.  “Is it worth it?”  “How much will I regret it, if at all?”  Kinda, actually, like I told my daughters about pre-marital sex.  LOL”

Jules may have found the perfect analogy for us all:  why blogging is like dieting.  She has several great points including how comments are like the scale and how in blogging, just like dieting, we can hit plateaus.

I’d love to have you share other analogies that you have read or come up with yourself  – about anything, healthy living or totally unrelated.  Analogize away!