Chapter 12

When it seemed like he had been in the maze¹ 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 startled² 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 Sniff³ and Scurry⁴.

Sniff welcomed Haw with a nod of his head and Scurry waved his paw.  Their fat little bellies⁵ 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 neatly⁶ 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 illusion⁷ 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 buddies⁸, 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 irrational⁹ 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 blessing¹⁰ in disguise¹¹ as it led him to find better Cheese.
He had even found a better part of himself.
 

 

当他感觉一直在迷宫中前行，而且好像永远都会在迷宫中前行的时候，他的旅程——至少是现阶段的旅程——即将愉快地结束了。

　　唧唧正沿着一条走廊前进，这是一条他从未到过的走廊，拐过一个弯，在他的面前出现了奶酪N站，这里堆满了新鲜的奶酪！

　　当他走进奶酪N站的时候　，他被眼前的景象惊呆了。到处都是堆积如山的奶酪，他从未见过如此巨大的丰盛的贮藏。他并不完全认识这些奶酪，有些品种是全新的。

　　眼前的景象太壮观了，他犹豫了一会儿，不能肯定这是否是真的，或许这只是他的幻觉。直到他看见了他的老朋友——嗅嗅和匆匆，他才相信这一切是真的。

　　嗅嗅冲唧唧点了点头，表示欢迎，匆匆则朝他挥了挥爪子。他们胖胖的小肚子表明，他们在这里已经有一段时间了。

　　唧唧很快向他们打了招呼，然后赶紧把他喜欢的各种奶酪都咬了一口。他脱掉鞋子，把两只鞋子系在一起，然后挂在脖子上，以便需要的时候能够迅速找到它们。嗅嗅和匆匆会心地笑了，并且赞许地点了点头。而唧唧已经一头扎进了奶酪堆中。一顿饱餐之后，唧唧高兴地举起一块新鲜的奶酪欢呼：“呼啦，变化万岁！”

　　唧唧享受新奶酪的同时，也在反思自己学到了什么。

　　他认识到，当他害怕变化的时候，他一直受困于对那已不存在的旧奶酪的幻想而无法自拨。

　　那又是什么使他发生了改变呢？难道是害怕饿死的恐惧？想到这里，唧唧笑了，他心里明白，这种恐惧当然起过很大的作用。

　　唧唧忽然发现，他已经学会自嘲了，而当人们学会自嘲，能够嘲笑自己的愚蠢和所做的错事时，他就在开始改变了。他甚至觉得，改变自己的最快方式，就是坦然嘲笑自己的愚笨——这样，你就能对过往云烟轻松释然，迅速行动起来，直面变化。

　　唧唧相信他从他的老鼠朋友嗅嗅和匆匆那里，学到了一些有用的东西——不畏惧改变，勇往直前。老鼠朋友们简单地对待生活，他们不会反复分析，也不会把事情搞得很复杂。当形势发生改变，奶酪被移走了的时候，他们会迅速随之改变，循着奶酪移动的方向而移动。唧唧告诉自己，要牢记这些体会。

　　唧唧相信拥有了这些体会，凭借自己聪慧的头脑，再遇到任何变化时他一定能做得比老鼠朋友更好。

　　他的头脑里出现了清晰的图画，他的生活将会变得更美好，而且他还会在迷宫中发现一些更好的东西。

　　唧唧不断地反思自己过去犯下的错误，他要汲取这些经验教训，去构划自己的未来。他知道，自己完全可以通过总结和学习，掌握如何应对变化：

　　首先要更清醒地认识到，有时需要简单地看待问题，以及灵敏快速地行动。

　　你不必把事情过分复杂化，或者一味地让那些惊恐的念头使自己慌乱。

　　其次必须要善于发现一开始发生的那些细微的变化，以便你为即将来临的更大的变化做好准备。

　　他知道，他需要做出更快的调整。因为，如果不能及时调整自己，就可能永远找不到属于自己的奶酪。

　　还有一点必须承认，那就是阻止你发生改变的最大的制约因素就是你自己。只有自己发生了改变，事情才会开始好转。

　　最重要的是，新奶酪始终总是存在于某个地方，不管你是否已经意识到了它的存在。只有当你克服了自己的恐惧念头，并且勇于走出久已习惯的生活，去享受冒险带来的喜悦的时候，你才会得到新奶酪带给你的报偿和奖赏。

　　唧唧还认识到，有些畏惧是需要加以认真对待的，它会帮助你避开真正的危险。但绝大部分的恐惧都是不明智的，它们只会在你需要改变的时候，使你回避这种改变。

　　唧唧曾经那样地惧怕改变，他真的希望生活能够永远按照原有的样子继续，但现在他意识到，生活并不会遵从某个人的愿望发展。改变随时有可能降临，但积极地面对改变却会让你发现更好的奶酪，真的是塞翁失马，焉知非福。

　　唧唧已经看到了变化更好的一面。

1 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

2 startled   

adj.受惊吓的v.使惊跳，使大吃一惊( startle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A crowd of 2000 was startled near the end of the concert. 2000名观众在音乐会将近结束时大吃一惊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Startled by the sudden whistle of the train, the horse broke away. 火车突然鸣笛，那匹马受惊脱逃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

4 scurry   

vi.急匆匆地走；使急赶；催促；n.快步急跑，疾走；仓皇奔跑声；骤雨，骤雪；短距离赛马

参考例句：

• I jumped on the sofa after I saw a mouse scurry by.看到一只老鼠匆匆路过,我从沙发上跳了起来。
• There was a great scurry for bargains.大家急忙着去抢购特价品。

5 bellies   

n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的

参考例句：

• They crawled along on their bellies. 他们匍匐前进。
• starving children with huge distended bellies 鼓着浮肿肚子的挨饿儿童

6 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

7 illusion   

n.幻想，错误的观念，错觉，幻觉，假象

参考例句：

• The sun appears to go round the Earth,but it's an illusion.太阳看起来好像绕着地球转，但这只是个错觉。
• They were under the illusion that the company was doing well.他们误以为该公司生意很好。

8 buddies   

n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人

参考例句：

• We became great buddies. 我们成了非常好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
• The two of them have become great buddies. 他们俩成了要好的朋友。 来自辞典例句

9 irrational   

adj.无理性的，失去理性的

参考例句：

• After taking the drug she became completely irrational.她在吸毒后变得完全失去了理性。
• There are also signs of irrational exuberance among some investors.在某些投资者中是存在非理性繁荣的征象的。

10 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

11 disguise   

vt.把...假扮起来；n.伪装物，假装，伪装

参考例句：

• He went about in the disguise of a sailor.他伪装成海员到处流窜。
• It is impossible to disguise the fact that business is bad.生意不好这件事无法隐瞒。