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.
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