A watched pot NEVER...

It’s true…a watched pot never boils. I thought this was a proverb relating to human impatience, but it’s definitely true.

I’m boiling eggs this morning for my family’s annual color fest—an important ritual at our house. Egg dying provokes intense thought, creativity and Zen-like concentration. Last year, the eggs were so beautiful we grouped them in cool patterns and took multiple photos. I have yet to determine the purpose of the photos, but they’re very Zen.

Back to the eggs. I placed them in a pan of cold water, I placed the pan on the stove, I turned on the burner, flames shot out, and….that was eons ago. Did you know that as the water heats, tiny air bubbles form on the shells. They look like massive quantities of bacteria devouring the eggs from the outside in.

Tiny bubbles also rise from the pan bottom, ascending purposely toward molecular freedom. Even more amazing? Sometimes the eggs vibrate slightly, releasing their tiny, bacterial air bubbles. It’s also really hot standing by the stove…maybe I should turn on a fan.

Standing here for eons has given me time to research Easter egg history. Suffice it to say that in most ancient cultures, eggs were revered symbolically as the beginning of life. I assume those cultures never waited for them to boil…

Many cultures believed the universe was spawned from a giant egg, hence, the Big & Little Dippers…no, that’s my interpretation—momentarily, I can picture no better use for stellar pans than boiling stellar eggs.

Coloring eggs has also been around for millennia, in various cultures, for various reasons, because, you know, they’re pretty.

Wait…something’s happening here…I think the tiny bubbles are growing in size…I’m possibly seeing medium-sized ones. This is so exciting…I think I’ll research Easter bunny history while waiting for the next bubble-size magnification.