Have you ever watched water boil? It’s faster than watching grass grow, and it’s at least a little bit more exciting.
Most people boil water with the lid on the pan they’re using because it’s faster. I typically like to boil water with the lid off because I like to watch the process happen… and also because I have the tendency to let the water boil over from time to time.
When I watch water boil with the lid off, I feel like I’m watching a reflection of how my emotions work.
The stove lights up and begins to heat the pot. The pan heats up and begins to heat the water. Slowly, but surely, bubbles begin to appear as the temperature of the water begins to rise. They come up from the bottom and pop at the surface until a rolling boil begins to occur.
It’s a slow process. It’s a somewhat boring process. It’s a process that can still make a mess.
As the boiling water roils, it splashes more and more the hotter it gets. It splashes more the fuller the pot is and creates an even bigger mess if you’re not paying attention to it.
And that’s how i have noticed my emotions tend to work. They start slow, and if someone is paying attention, they might notice some bubbles of how I’m feeling show up. But if I burn for too long on something, it gets messy.
That happened to me this morning on a call with my mom. Something had been simmering boiling for far too long, and it got messy. I overflowed, and things I had been keeping inside for far too long came to the surface.
Better late than never, but there has got to be a healthier way to do this. Maybe monitoring a boiling a pot with a lid on it is the way to do it. We’ll soon find out.
-Cliff
Cliff’s Note: Boil water with a lid. The process is faster and less messy when under control.