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I tend to think of my relationships with people in analogies. This is worrisome.
Example:
I think of my sister as the sun: bright, giving off light and heat. A life-giving force. If she is the sun, I'm simply the moon, reflecting her dimly light but giving off nothing of my own.
This is an analogy that has been with me for a while. I think I first thought of it in college. As worrisome as it is to analogize relationships, it shows how my mind works: compared to my sister who is genuine and real, I feel like I'm a pale reflection. Which makes sense, since our family compared us constantly and found her to be the better person.
Not all analogies are bad, though:
Tuesday is the summer rain on a cultivated field (me). Our relationship is such that I find myself inspired and growing creatively when I'm around her.
Anyhow, it's ultimately worrisome, because I shouldn't try to summarize my relationships with friends and family like this. I feel that the healthier option would be to begin viewing friendships and kinship in a way that isn't comparative.
Does anybody else do this? It would be oddly comforting if I found out that this quirk is something entirely human and not horrendously flawed and erroneous. How do other people think of their relationships with friends and family? What is "normal"?
Example:
I think of my sister as the sun: bright, giving off light and heat. A life-giving force. If she is the sun, I'm simply the moon, reflecting her dimly light but giving off nothing of my own.
This is an analogy that has been with me for a while. I think I first thought of it in college. As worrisome as it is to analogize relationships, it shows how my mind works: compared to my sister who is genuine and real, I feel like I'm a pale reflection. Which makes sense, since our family compared us constantly and found her to be the better person.
Not all analogies are bad, though:
Tuesday is the summer rain on a cultivated field (me). Our relationship is such that I find myself inspired and growing creatively when I'm around her.
Anyhow, it's ultimately worrisome, because I shouldn't try to summarize my relationships with friends and family like this. I feel that the healthier option would be to begin viewing friendships and kinship in a way that isn't comparative.
Does anybody else do this? It would be oddly comforting if I found out that this quirk is something entirely human and not horrendously flawed and erroneous. How do other people think of their relationships with friends and family? What is "normal"?
