Quick:
What animal walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and on three legs at night?
You have an answer. Brilliant.
Of course, the answer is “humans” - we crawl when we’re babies, walk for most of our lives, and then use a cane in the older part of life.
And yes, the question is metaphorical. Especially in the context of how we look at time. A single-life cycle of morning-afternoon and evening is in the concept of a cycle of a whole life. Though we don’t look at the time that way, at least most often.
Something to think about… it was stimulating to look at life through a different lens of time. What other different concepts of time do you apply to look at life?