Metaphor

I was thinking about something, and I heard a description on Landline which I thought was a perfect fit.
They were talking about a Landscape painter and said the landscape was a metaphor for life.  I was actually thinking about something as mundane as cleaning the fish tank, but I had seen a lot that was applicable for my life.
For one the fish tank is a closed environment.  Water may come in, but it does not go out.  The only time water disappears is through evaporation.  It being a closed environment means the gunk that accumulates needs to be gotten rid of to have a healthy environment.  To this end I have a filter and every now and then I do a complete clean and swap of the water.
I think it is necessary I do that for me as well.  If I give out all the time without receiving eventually reserves run dry.  I need to make sure there is a constant refill going on to ensure health and freshness.
Every now and then a complete clean out is needed.  I need to get rid of the foreign matter that poisons and add the equivalent of water from a good source.  With fish, tap water is not good on its own.  A substance is added (water purifier) to make the water habitable for fish.
Similar for me.  I try not to deliberately expose myself to things that poison my environment.  Believe it or not if there is a murder on tv I close my eyes.  I do not want images in my head that do me no good.  To me life can be hard enough without adding unnecessary destructive elements.
I know in some jobs bad images are a part of life (first responders, doctors, war etc) but for me there is a big difference between seeing bad things with a view to fixing and seeing bad things that are not necessary, and not good for me.
Anyway, thinking like that is my bent.  Doesn’t matter if it is washing up or gardening or some other task I tend to see it as a metaphor for my life.