The Cheese

The Cheese

I have just finished reading a very short book called Who Moved my Cheese and I must say it was a good “food for thought” book. Roughly it is about 2 mice called Sniff (sometimes we may act like him who sniffs out change early), Scurry (who scurries into action), 2 Littlepeople called Hem(who denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse) and Haw(who learns to adapt in time when he sees changing can lead to something better.

The Cheese in the book is the thing we want the most. To some it is work orientated, a marriage, a relationship, health, freedom, spiritual peace, sport orientated or whatever it is that you believe it is that makes you happy. The mice are the simple side of us and the Littlepeople is the complex side of us. The 4 characters roam a maze looking for the Cheese until they find it. They go every day to take their fill of it. The mice, however, don’t just go and eat they sniff around the area every day and do not put away their running gear and hang it around their necks. The Littlepeople become very complacent and enjoy the cheese. They brag about it to their friends and family, bring their homes nearer to it and eventually become possessive of the cheese.  Till one day they come there to find that it is gone. The mice had arrived early (like they did every day) and when they found it gone they immediately went out into the maze again to go looking for it. The Littlepeople arrived late in the morning and when they found it gone they went into a tizz. This went on for awhile, every day they came back to the section hoping to find it back.

Sniff and Scurry had eventually found the new Cheese in a newer undiscovered section of the maze and enjoyed it. Hem and Haw refused to leave the comfort of the section that they knew to go looking until Haw finally realised that the Cheese was not coming back and left to go looking alone in the maze. Hem refused to leave and stayed where he was. During the course of Hem’s search in the maze he came to quite a few realisations about change. He finally lost his fear of the unknown and ventured further into the maze until he finally found the New Cheese and his 2 mice friends. He never again became complacent and kept his running shoes around his neck. He would check the section every day for possible change. He realised that Change was good and exciting.

This little book has made it clear to me again that I must embrace the change in my life. To look at it as an adventure, to expect another change soon enough and to be ready for it. To see change is to realise that life is awesome, even when it doesn’t seem like it at the moment. To face ones fears head on and to envision what you want in life. To paint that picture mentally or verbally every day until finally it is upon you.  I would recommend this book to anybody who is fighting change. Who is afraid of new things, to learn to perceive when change is about to happen and to follow it? So, no more ranting and raving over lost dreams for me. My life has changed for a reason and I will continue to paint the pictures of travel in my mind and will continue to talk about it as it will happen eventually. I have decided that I am Hem in this book and will move towards the change in my life. I will accept that things do not stay the say all the time. To stop being comfortable in my life. To face all the fears that I haven’t faced as yet. Maybe, that is my lesson to learn in life as yet. Maybe that is why I haven’t moved on yet.

 

Time to go into the Maze of Life and go and find My Cheese……….