Raging Torrent

Today I boiled my water so long the teapot screamed at me from the other room. I once read how the Chinese use descriptive terminology, much of which draws on sea life, to determine the temperature of water by sight when boiling water for tea. “Shrimp eyes” describes the look of 160-170 degree water with tiny bubbles. “Crab eyes” and “fish eyes” describe progressively larger bubbles as the water gets hotter. Then there’s “rope of pearls” and “raging torrent!” How clever to describe boiling bubbles this way. It’s challenging for me to cook and bake without measuring ingredients. If I practice a more keen sense of observation, maybe I could eventually rely less on tools and technology. If I had more faith in my abilities and creativity, could I do away with thermometers and measuring cups? The more I observe God at work in my life each day, the more confidence I grow in courage and strength. Maybe someday I’ll try “measureless cooking.” But for now I like the comfort of my screaming teapot.