Look closely at the pot. There, hidden in the bottom edge, under the water. A single bubble. Very small and easily missed. But it is important. It is the herald of things to come. It is the messenger of the future. A scout for an army of such bubbles, soon to emerge and overwhelm the pot. But first, back up and have a look at where it came from.

The pot was lifted, new from the rack and brought home. It shiny and smooth. A beautiful example of a two quart pot. Perfect for sundry boilings and mixings and general pot appropriate activities. The pot, it had no ambitions of its own. It had no desire to be anything other than a pot, to be used in pot like ways, in a pot friendly home and to be washed with pot friendly cameo. Truth be known, the pot had absolutely no desires. It was after all, just a pot and not some anthropomorphized metaphor of a pot to be used in NON-pot friendly fashion. Clearly, we are talking about a pot. But let us return to the non-pot-centric portion of this story.

The pot was lifted one day from its resting place and brought to the sink. The sink was a normal stainless steel sink, used in mundane sink-like ways...forget it. It was a sink with a faucet. The faucet was used to put water in the pot. Just water. Tepid tap water. Plain ordinary tap water.

As an aside, there are those who would argue that there is no such thing as plain or ordinary tap water. They would argue that a tremendous amount of work goes into insuring the quality and purity of that which we denigrate with the monikers of plain or ordinary. To them I would say a resounding "Yes!" But that is not entirely the point, is it? We are trying to get back to the aforementioned bubble. Were this a story about the wonders of modern tap water, well then, you'd have an excellent starting point with the hero bending over muck and reciting all the ways he will make this safe for grandma to wash her teeth in. Let us now put the aside to the side and carry on.

The pot, with the gloriously pure tap water was then placed on a stove. Not an ordinary stove, mind you. What else would you expect, having come this far, than a stunningly extraordinary stove. This marvel of modern cooking science had all the bells and whistles; being, of course, responsible for the timer alerts, I-have-heated-to-the-proper-temperature alarms, the oven-is-sparkling-clean tone, etc. This stove also had elements! Roundish swirls of metal connected to an electrical source. The electricity, purchased at great expense to the stove owner, would course through the metal and would meet a bit of resistance. The electricity, preferring to flow freely, would get a little hot under the collar with the metal and this heat would then be used to cook things. At least I think I have that right. Anyway, pot (new), with water (pure), on stove (marvelous), with electricity (angry) through the element (aghast at the anger of the electricity). Now, the bubble.

As I said the bubble is a harbinger of things to come. It is the tornado siren of the...you get the idea. The bubble is a sign that the water is about to boil. Yes the eddies and currents in the water, were you to pay attention, would let you know that the water is heating and nearing the bubble making stage. Of course, if you are not paying attention, then the bubble also goes unnoticed, the water boils and the pot is ruined, and this story is pointless. Come to think of it, if you were not paying attention, you would not be reading this, having long ago abandoned these pleasantries for a rousing game of Go Fish with the petulant but annoyingly cute neighbor child you happen to be baby sitting. It appears as if I am berating the faithful few who have gotten this far, and for that I am heartily sorry. But I am not repentant! I think I am drifting again.

The single bubble brings another, perhaps a friend from down the lane. Alas, this friend also happens to be somewhat of a boor and invites half the neighborhood to your quiet get together. These in turn invite their boorish friends and before you know it you've got a potful of bubbles falling (roiling??) all over themselves. This leads, as things do when excitable and boorish bubbles get together, to boiling. The sudden, massive, in-human wave of bubbles that spring from the bottom of the pot, rise to the mosh pit of the surface and escape into the air.

As a second aside, where do the bubbles go from there? Sure, some of you so called "realists" will insist that the suitably excited water molecules are steaming away from the gadfly bubbles, leaving the bubbles to join the air and float merrily away, ready to join another pot party round the corner. Have you ever thought that maybe the bubbles, after a rousing party in the pot have to go back to work at the soda factory? There to be placed, under duress, into sugary sweet bottles of Formula X? 'Course you haven't, it is an exceedingly silly and stupid idea. Let us put this aside beside the first aside just off to the side of the stove and carry on.

The bubble represents to me, as I have said, a warning sign. Seemingly small and inconsequential, it can herald chaos and eventual ruin if it is not watched. Much like out emotions and behaviors. All of that to say this simple truth: watch the little warning signs in your life and do something about them. Either turn down the heat, or move the pot, or go ahead and let it boil and make some soup. Mmmmm, soup. Just watch it, whatever else you do.

Now, pass the five-for-a-dollar-noodle-based-soup-product if you please.