All Steamed Up

I had a pot of potatoes on the stove yesterday, boiling them for potato salad. A few minutes later, steam had built up and was coming out of the little steam vent on the top of the lid. It was "venting", I guess you could say. I didn't do anything about it, because that's what the little vent hole was for - letting the pot "vent".

I realized later that I should have done something, because before I knew it, the pot was doing more than just venting steam. It was spewing out some really gooshy, gunky, sticky foam that ran down the side of the shiny pot and collected in a gross pile on top of the burner. The only thing I could do at that point was turn down the heat and take the top off the pot. The pot cooled a little and the foaming stopped. I knew that if I turned the heat up again and put the lid back on, the same thing would happen again.

I think we are all like that boiling pot, at difficult times in our lives. A little "venting" is a good thing; but, if it's allowed to continue unchecked, it will spew forth and make a mess.