Metaphor of the Day

I was at the gym today, stretching next to a woman I had seen there often. We’ve seldom exchanged more than a quick greeting but my read of the cues is that she’s battled her way back from a bout with cancer and is staying with the program. She appears centered and gutsy.

I finished up and was about to move on when she said, “Light workout for you today. Is that because you were out for a while?” Aside from the relatively few people I work out with (in loose association, at that), there’s no one I notice anything about. I’m always surprised when someone makes an observation like this.

“Yes, I was away for a few weeks and don’t want to rush it too much getting back into shape. It comes hard but fades quickly.”

“It’s like water,” she replied. “Very difficult to push uphill but let up for moment and it rolls all the way down in a flash.”