Enforced idleness is a rare treat.
Those brief moments in life when for one reason or another you are forced to just stop and think. In waiting rooms, queuing, for example, or even just sitting on a train. Waiting for the tea to brew is one such moment. It doesn’t offer enough time to ‘do’ anything else and you just have to sit and wait, salivating at the prospect of your golden brew.
If you do attempt to do anything in the time your tea takes to brew you always take too long or too short a time to do it, leaving the tea too strong or too weak. The teapot is fully aware of this fact. The only way to gauge the time perfectly is to sit, do nothing and watch. Only by handing over your full attention to the pot will you be able to relish the taste at the appointed time.