When it seemed like he had been in the maze forever, his journey-or at least this part of his journey-ended quickly and happily.
Haw found New Cheese at Cheese Station N!
When he went inside, he was startled by what supply of Cheese he had ever seen. He didn’t recognize all that he saw, as some kinds of Cheese were new to him.
Then he wondered for a moment whether it was real or just his imagination, until he saw his old friends Sniff and Scurry.
Sniff welcomed Haw with a nod of his head and Scurry waved his paw. Their fat little bellies showed that they had been here for some time.
Haw quickly said his hellos and soon took bites of every one of his favorite Cheeses. He pulled off his shoes and jogging suit and folded them neatly nearby in case he needed them again. Then he jumped into the New Cheese. When he had eaten his fill, he lifted a piece of fresh Cheese and made a toast. “Hooray for Change!”
As Haw enjoyed the New Cheese, he reflected what he had learned.
He realized that when he had been afraid to change he had been holding on to the illusion of Old Cheese that was no longer there.
So what was it that made him change? Was it the fear of starving to death? Haw thought, “Well, that helped.”
Then he laughed and realized that he had started to change as soon as he had learned to laugh at himself and at what he had been doing wrong. He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own folly-then you can let go and quickly move on.
He knew he had learned something useful about moving on from his mice buddies, Sniff and Scurry. They kept life simple. They didn’t overanalyze or overcomplicate things. When the situation changed and the Cheese had been moved, they changed and moved with the Cheese. He would remember that.
Then Haw used his wonderful brain to do what littlepeople do better than mice.
He reflected on the mistakes he had made in the past and used them to plan for his future. He knew that you could learn to deal with change:
You could be more aware of the need to keep things simple, be flexible, and move quickly.
You did not need to overcomplicate matters or confuse yourself with fearful beliefs.
You could notice when the little changes began so that you would be better prepared for the big change that might be coming.
He knew he needed to adapt faster, for if you do not adapt in time, you might as well not adapt at all.
He had to admit that the biggest inhibitor to change lies within yourself, and that nothing gets better until you change.
Perhaps most important of all, he realized that there is always New Cheese out there whether you recognize it at the time or not. And that you are rewarded with it when you go past your fear and enjoy the adventure.
He knew some fear should be respected, as it can keep you out of real danger. But he realized most of his fears were irrational and had kept him from changing when he needed to change.
He didn’t like it at the time, but he knew that the change had turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it led him to find better Cheese.
He had even found a better part of himself.
當他感覺一直在迷宮中前行,而且好像永遠都會在迷宮中前行的時候,他的旅程——至少是現階段的旅程——即將愉快地結束了。
唧唧正沿著一條走廊前進,這是一條他從未到過的走廊,拐過一個彎,在他的面前出現了奶酪N站,這里堆滿了新鮮的奶酪!
當他走進奶酪N站的時候 ,他被眼前的景象驚呆了。到處都是堆積如山的奶酪,他從未見過如此巨大的豐盛的貯藏。他并不完全認識這些奶酪,有些品種是全新的。
眼前的景象太壯觀了,他猶豫了一會兒,不能肯定這是否是真的,或許這只是他的幻覺。直到他看見了他的老朋友——嗅嗅和匆匆,他才相信這一切是真的。
嗅嗅沖唧唧點了點頭,表示歡迎,匆匆則朝他揮了揮爪子。他們胖胖的小肚子表明,他們在這里已經有一段時間了。
唧唧很快向他們打了招呼,然后趕緊把他喜歡的各種奶酪都咬了一口。他脫掉鞋子,把兩只鞋子系在一起,然后掛在脖子上,以便需要的時候能夠迅速找到它們。嗅嗅和匆匆會心地笑了,并且贊許地點了點頭。而唧唧已經一頭扎進了奶酪堆中。一頓飽餐之后,唧唧高興地舉起一塊新鮮的奶酪歡呼:“呼啦,變化萬歲!”
唧唧享受新奶酪的同時,也在反思自己學到了什么。
他認識到,當他害怕變化的時候,他一直受困于對那已不存在的舊奶酪的幻想而無法自撥。
那又是什么使他發(fā)生了改變呢?難道是害怕餓死的恐懼?想到這里,唧唧笑了,他心里明白,這種恐懼當然起過很大的作用。
唧唧忽然發(fā)現,他已經學會自嘲了,而當人們學會自嘲,能夠嘲笑自己的愚蠢和所做的錯事時,他就在開始改變了。他甚至覺得,改變自己的最快方式,就是坦然嘲笑自己的愚笨——這樣,你就能對過往云煙輕松釋然,迅速行動起來,直面變化。
唧唧相信他從他的老鼠朋友嗅嗅和匆匆那里,學到了一些有用的東西——不畏懼改變,勇往直前。老鼠朋友們簡單地對待生活,他們不會反復分析,也不會把事情搞得很復雜。當形勢發(fā)生改變,奶酪被移走了的時候,他們會迅速隨之改變,循著奶酪移動的方向而移動。唧唧告訴自己,要牢記這些體會。
唧唧相信擁有了這些體會,憑借自己聰慧的頭腦,再遇到任何變化時他一定能做得比老鼠朋友更好。
他的頭腦里出現了清晰的圖畫,他的生活將會變得更美好,而且他還會在迷宮中發(fā)現一些更好的東西。
唧唧不斷地反思自己過去犯下的錯誤,他要汲取這些經驗教訓,去構劃自己的未來。他知道,自己完全可以通過總結和學習,掌握如何應對變化:
首先要更清醒地認識到,有時需要簡單地看待問題,以及靈敏快速地行動。
你不必把事情過分復雜化,或者一味地讓那些驚恐的念頭使自己慌亂。
其次必須要善于發(fā)現一開始發(fā)生的那些細微的變化,以便你為即將來臨的更大的變化做好準備。
他知道,他需要做出更快的調整。因為,如果不能及時調整自己,就可能永遠找不到屬于自己的奶酪。
還有一點必須承認,那就是阻止你發(fā)生改變的最大的制約因素就是你自己。只有自己發(fā)生了改變,事情才會開始好轉。
最重要的是,新奶酪始終總是存在于某個地方,不管你是否已經意識到了它的存在。只有當你克服了自己的恐懼念頭,并且勇于走出久已習慣的生活,去享受冒險帶來的喜悅的時候,你才會得到新奶酪?guī)Ыo你的報償和獎賞。
唧唧還認識到,有些畏懼是需要加以認真對待的,它會幫助你避開真正的危險。但絕大部分的恐懼都是不明智的,它們只會在你需要改變的時候,使你回避這種改變。
唧唧曾經那樣地懼怕改變,他真的希望生活能夠永遠按照原有的樣子繼續(xù),但現在他意識到,生活并不會遵從某個人的愿望發(fā)展。改變隨時有可能降臨,但積極地面對改變卻會讓你發(fā)現更好的奶酪,真的是塞翁失馬,焉知非福。
唧唧已經看到了變化更好的一面。