When the Oil Pops: The Little Fears That Still Make Us Flinch

It started as just another ordinary day in the kitchen, the smell of fish, the familiar hum of the induction cooker, the pan heating up. Nothing special, really. Until, of course, the oil decided to go to war.

You know that exact moment when the oil starts popping like it has a personal vendetta against you? You stand there, spatula in hand, doing little side-steps and leaning away like you’re in an action movie. Somewhere between bravery and panic, you whisper a tiny prayer: “Please, not the face.”

And that’s when it hit me. Not the oil, thankfully, but the thought: maybe it’s not just the oil that makes me flinch. Maybe it’s the feeling of not being in control.

Because in life, those are the scariest moments, aren’t they? The ones where we can’t quite control what’s coming next. You think you’ve got things handled and then pop! Life splatters something unexpected your way. A sudden spike in bill, a bad day, a misunderstanding, a missed opportunity. It doesn’t have to be huge to sting.

Sometimes, the “oil” is just that awkward conversation you’ve been putting off. Or the decision you’ve been afraid to make. Or even the quiet fear of trying again after failing, because the last time you did, you got burned.

But still, you show up in the kitchen of life, turn on the fire, and start again.

That’s what makes it beautiful, isn’t it? The courage to keep cooking even when you know the oil might pop again.

The funny thing is, I use this little mesh cover whenever I fry. A splatter screen, they call it. It doesn’t stop everything, but it helps. It lets the steam out while keeping most of the pain away. And somehow, I think that’s what healthy boundaries are like too. You don’t shut the world out, you just protect yourself enough to keep living without losing the flavor of life.

We all have our own splatter screens: faith, humor, family, maybe even quiet solitude. The things that keep us from getting burned completely, while still letting us experience the sizzle of being alive.

And maybe that’s what courage really looks like, not a perfect calm face in the middle of chaos, but a slightly scared person standing near a hot pan, armed with a spatula and hope.

So yes, the oil will still pop, the mess will still happen, and sometimes it’ll hurt a little. But we’ll keep going. Because beneath every flinch is a tiny act of faith, the kind that says, “I’ve been burned before, but I’m still here.”

And I think that’s the bravest thing of all.

Disclaimer: I’m not a psychologist or philosopher, just someone who’s had her fair share of burns (both from oil and from life). Everything here comes from my own reflections and small kitchen epiphanies. Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and remember: sometimes the messiest moments make the best stories. - MESSY E.

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