Life is...

Life is like a river... it has its twists and turns.
Life is like a grapefruit... it takes a while to get used to the flavor and then once you get used to it, it squirts you in the eye.
Life is a highway... I wanna ride it all night long.
Life is like a train... you're stuck on the tracks and it's comin'!
Life is a roller coaster... it has its ups and downs.
Life is a sexually transmitted disease, and GOOD NEWS! it's 100% fatal.

In the season of graduation, I've heard so many comparisons in regards to life. I sat through a ceremony recently where a graduate regurgitated a list of such comparisons that had been fed to her by well-meaning adults trying to lend some (small) semblance of guidance.

And it made me wonder, just what about graduation invokes such comparisons in regards to life? What about that season of one's life makes another want to "help" by making a blanket statement about life in general that's supposed to galvanize a youth into giving it their all?

I suppose if I had to guess, I'd say that the uncertainty of the future lends itself to such a thing, that a high school graduate (or college graduate, or what-have-you) is, at that point, looking out at the future and seeing nothing but a white sheet, a blank canvas without definition. And, admittedly, that sort of thing is frightening. It can be terrifying, really, particularly for a 17- or 18-year-old kid with not much on their mind but what they heard on the radio this morning or what they're having for dinner tonight, or what their friends are doing today.  This brings about that well-meaning adult who wants to condense the experience down to a single metaphor, something that the kid can take with them on their journey, some small bit of expectation so that, when life hits one of its many bumps-in-the-road or twists-in-the-river or whatever metaphor we're using this week, they can in some respect say, I was ready for this.

But the condensation of life down into one simple allegory or metaphor or comparison or simile is a bit disconcerting. Life may be like a river, but it may also be like a desert. Life may be like a roller coaster but I'm sure for some it's like a stroll in the park. Life is short, but it's also the longest thing you do. The metaphors conflict--there's no water in the desert. No bumps or sudden twists and turns in the park. And sure, life IS sexually-transmitted and it IS 100% fatal (it sure will kill you), but is it fair to call it a disease?

Life is, I think, like life. That's why we have the word for it. That little four-letter word encompasses so much, from a miracle at the beginning to what we cling to at the end. From something hard to something worth doing. From something fragile and temporary and precious to something cold and long and meaningless. It's so much, from a breath of fresh air to a forest teeming with species of plants and animals, a baby bouncing on a knee and an 80-year-old man playing tennis.

Life is like life, there's nothing else like it. There's not much you can do to prepare for it beforehand, and not much you can undo once it's done. You're given a steady dose over the course of your life and you can't afford to waste any of it. And as imperative as that seems, you also must find time to relax and enjoy it. It's not easy, but nothing ever worth doing has been. And when it comes down to it, it's really all you have.