The metaphors we use not only reflect the way we live, but create the way we live. If we call life a rat race, it will tend to become one.
So let's change metaphors. Here are a few suggestions:
Life is a cat prowl. I envision slow and careful steps, a calm awareness of what is going on in my neighborhood, and a pace that suits my needs.
Life is a dog walk. I move now with lively interest, with stoppings and goings, encounters with other dogs, trees, and people, always ready to respond to a friendly petting.
Life is a fox trot. Here is a bouncy-stepped way to dance through life. Find a partner! You can always sit the next one out.
Life is a monkey march. Life is a pony canter. Life is a whale breach. Life is a swallow soar. Life is a pig parade. Life is an elephant lope. Life is a bear excursion (the one I'd pick).
— David Kundtz, Moments in Between