A Gathering

Chicago

One sunny Sunday in Chicago, several former classmates gathered for lunch, having attended their high school reunion the night before.  They wanted to hear more about what was happening in each other’s lives.  After a good deal of kidding, and a good meal, they settled into an interesting conversation.

Angela, who had been one of the most popular people in the class, said, “Life sure turned out differently than I thought it would when we were in school.  A lot has changed.”

“It certainly has, “ Nathan echoed. They knew he had gone into his family’s business, which had operated pretty much the same and had been a part of the local community for as long as they could remember.  So, they were surprised when he seemed concerned.  He asked, “But, have you noticed how we don’t want to change when things change?”

Carlos said, “I guess we resist changing because we’re afraid of change.”

“Carlos, you were Captain of the football team,” Jessica said.  “I never thought I’d hear you say anything about being afraid!”

They all laughed as they realized that although they had gone off in different directions- from working at home to managing companies-they were experiencing similar feelings.

Everyone was trying to cope with the unexpected changes that were happening to them in recent years.  And most admitted that they did not know a good way to handle them.

Then Michael said, “I used to be afraid of change.  When a big change came along in our business, we didn’t know what to do.  So we didn’t do anything differently and we almost lost it.

“That is,” he continued, “until I heard a funny little story that changed everything.”

“How so?” Nathan asked.

“Well, the story altered the way I looked at change, and after that, things quickly improved for me – at work and in my life.

“Then-I passed the story on to some people in our company and they passed it on to others, and soon our business did much better, because we all adapted to change better.  And like me, many people said it helped them in their personal lives.”

“What’s the story?” Angela asked.

“It’s called, ‘Who Moved My Cheese?”

The group laughed. “I think I like it already,”

Carlos said. “Would you tell us the story?”

“Sure,” Michael replied. “I’d be happy to- It doesn’t take long.” And so he began.