Talking Metaphors

Imagine a ship sailing in a sea full of trinkets...

The sailor/captain collects those on his journey...

Then he realised that his ship is full and he risks sinking. The question- should he be a romantic freak and hold on to everything dear to him? Or... Should he be cruel and throw away things that doesn't mean too much for him? BTW... I added one more trinket to my collection... I dont know how to swim...