espresso, white water, and the hazards of what is unseen

I had an interesting discussion with two of my favorite people early this morning over espresso and high-carb breakfast foods. The topic du jour was whether our seemingly minor hang-ups are indicators of larger issues beneath the surface.

I argued that they were indeed. Where does my overeating/smoking/obsessive working out/asceticism/laziness/(insert your seemingly minor hang-up here) come from…and what does it say about me on some deeper level?

As best I can figure, these minor hang-ups are like spits of white water on a river. The white water, the turmoil, on the surface is only there because of a boulder or log or other obstruction under the surface which violently shifts the current on the surface. The larger the boulders under the surface, the more fierce the white water. If the metaphor applies in truth, then it would stand to reason - the greater the inner turmoil, the more evident the outward signs.

And sometime, the most dangerous hazards in navigating such waters are not the massive boulders that we can see bursting through, but the jagged rocks that lie just beneath surface.

Is this a reach or does this ring true? Does this resonate with any depth?