What are Soup Stones?

"Soup Stones" is a reference to the story of Stone Soup.

     Three travelers enter a village carrying little besides a large pot.  They stop at each house in the village asking for a bit of food, but each house refused.  Each home felt that the little that they had needed to be saved only for themselves.  Finally, the travelers stop in the village square.  They build a fire, fill their pot with water and drop in three smooth stones. 

     As the pot simmered on the fire, some of the town residents came out to investigate the strange behavior of the travelers.  The travelers explain that they are making stone soup and a greater feast cannot be had in any land.

     One traveler tastes the soup and pronounces that while it is coming along nicely, it would be truly special if only there were a few carrots to throw in.  At hearing this, one of the townspeople says that she actually may have a few carrots that she could spare, and went off to get them.  

    With the carrots in the soup, another of the travelers suggests that a  few potatoes would help the soup nicely.  Again, one of the townspeople remembered a few potatoes in the corner of the cellar,  And so it continued with onions and celery and meat and a bit of bread to go with it until it really was a grand meal and all were able to eat.

Soup stones are the starters, the central part that becomes better when everyone puts something in.  That is the basic premise of this blog, that there is a central idea that becomes better when we add to it what we are thinking.