Making breakfast this morning for the running-late-to-school teen, eggs and all the phrases tied to eggs came to mind.
Nest egg. Saving money for yourself, your “nest” and your family. An amount of money saved for personal future use.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Why? Because if you drop the basket all is lost. Historically eggs have been collected in one basket for transportation to their location of use. Even though we say this, the collection into one egg basket still happens. This warning though is a direction to explore options and keep yourself open to opportunities rather than counting on just one.
A bird in hand is better than two in the bush. When one wants to eat, a bird in hand is better than chasing after birds you don’t yet have. The saying is used as a metaphor for situations in which “you have something in hand – cherish it, rather than chasing after things you don’t have.”
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Eggs are eggs. Chickens are chickens. Therefore, an egg cannot be counted as a chicken. Which leads us to the admonition not to count eggs as chickens. This saying is used to remind us to look accurately at the situations before us; to count only that which is had rather than those things that might be coming our way.
Good egg/bad egg. Eggs can be good, bad, or rotten. Sometimes people are referred to as good eggs or bad eggs during an attempt to be nice about describing people. A bad egg – whether a person or an egg – is still one to be avoided.
During an online search, I discovered more obscure quotes that are too long to restate and discuss. The main point being that many cultures refer to eggs and chickens in their catalogs of sayings.
What eggs are you thinking about today?
Nesting is about the objects and experiences that create a sense of home. Without home, it is difficult to maintain health, find joy, or to be productive during our workdays. Enjoy the Nesting series of blogs on your search for a deep sense of home. –Jana
Jana Kemp
