How does Anne Lamott use imagery in Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith?

Imagery:

"My faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green, these places summoned and then held me up while I grew. Each prepared me for the next leaf on which I would land and in this way I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear."

"I felt that when I got sober, God had saved me from drowning, but now I was getting kicked to death on the beach. It's so much hipper to be a drunk than a bulimic."