“Time is but the stream I go fishing in. I drink at it, but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is.”

“Time is but the stream I go fishing in. I drink at it, but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is.”

A metaphor is a thing pictured as if it were something else. This is clearly depicted in this quote by Thoreau. Nature and time or the metaphors for life. Thoreau accepts that time is nothing more than something that occurs everyday. It’s unavoidable, and as the days go by Thoreau realizes that everyday brings him closer to his last. It is apparent to him how short life really is and the only way to enjoy it, is to create your own depth.
This depth that Thoreau seeks is and only can be created by ones self. It’s depth that is gained by looking upon life in it’s entirety and not focusing on how short your life is, but...