Once, long ago in a land far away, there lived four little characters who ran through a maze1 lookingfor cheese to nourish them and make them happy.
Two were mice named "Sniff3" and "Scurry4" and two were littlepeople - beings who were as small asmice but who looked and acted a lot like people today. Their names were "Hem2" and "Haw".
Due to their small size, it would be easy not to notice what the four of them were doing. But if youlooked closely enough, you could discover the most amazing things!
Every day the mice and the littlepeople spent time in the maze looking for their own special cheese.
The mice, Sniff and Scurry, possessing only simple rodent5 brains, but good instincts, searched forthe hard nibbling6 cheese they likes, as mice often do.
The two littlepeople, Hem and Haw, used their brains, filled with many beliefs, to search for a verydifferent kind of Cheese - with a capital C - which they believed would make them feel happy andsuccessful.
As different as the mice and littlepeople were, they shared something in common; every morning,they each put on their jogging suits and running shoes, left their little homes, and raced out into themaze looking for their favourite cheese.
The maze was a labyrinth7 of corridors and chambers8, some containing delicious cheese. But therewere also dark corners and blind alleys9 leading nowhere. It was an easy place for anyone to getlost.
However, for those who found their way, the maze held secrets that led them enjoy a better life.
The mice, Sniff and Scurry, used the simple, but inefficient10, trial-and-error method of findingcheese. They ran down one corridor and if it proved empty, they turned and ran down another.
Sniff would smell out the general direction of the cheese, using his great nose, and Scurry wouldrace ahead. They got lost, as you might expect, went off in the wrong direction and often bumpedinto walls.
However, the two littlepeople, Hem and Haw used a different method that relied on their ability tothink and learn from their past experiences, although, they would sometimes get confused by theirbeliefs and emotions.
Eventually in their own way, they all discovered what they were looking for - they each found theirown kind of cheese one day at the end of one of the corridors in Cheese Station C.
Every morning after that, the mice and the littlepeople dressed in their running gear and headedover to Cheese Station C. It wasn't long before they each established their own routine.
Sniff and Scurry continued to wake early every day and race through the maze, always following thesame route.
When they arrived at their destination, the mice took off their running shoes, tied them together andhung them around their necks - so they could get to them quickly whenever they needed them again.
Then they enjoyed the cheese.
In the beginning Hem and Haw also raced toward Cheese Station C every morning to enjoy the tastynew morsels11 that awaited them.
But after a while, a different routine set in for the littlepeople.
Hem and Haw awoke each day a little later, dressed a little slower, and walked to Cheese Station C.
After all, they knew where the Cheese was now and how to get there.
They had no idea where the Cheese came from, or who put it there. They just assumed it would bethere.
As soon as Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station C each morning, they settled in and madethemselves at home. They hung up their jogging suits, put away their running shoes and put ontheir slippers12. They were becoming very comfortable now that they had found the Cheese.
"This is great," Hem said. "There's enough Cheese here to last us forever." The littlepeople felthappy and successful, and thought they were now secure.
It wasn't long before Hem and Haw regarded the Cheese they found at the Cheese Station C as theircheese. It was such a large store of Cheese that they eventually moved their homes to be closer toit, and built a social life around it.
To make themselves feel more at home, Hem and Haw decorated the walls with sayings and evendrew pictures of Cheese around them which made them smile. One read:
HAVING CHEESE MAKES YOU HAPPY.
Sometimes Hem and Haw would take their friends by to see their pile of Cheese at Cheese Station C,and point to it with pride, saying, "Pretty nice Cheese, huh?" Sometimes they shared it with theirfriends and sometimes they didn't.
"We deserve this Cheese," Hem said. "We certainly had to work long and hard enough to find it."He picked up a nice fresh piece and ate it.
Afterwards, Hem fell asleep, as he often did.
Every night the littlepeople would waddle13 home, full of Cheese, and every morning they wouldconfidently return for more.
They went on for quite some time.
After a while Hem's and Haw's confidence grew into arrogance14. Soon they became so comfortablethey didn't even notice what was happening.
As time went on, Sniff and Scurry continued their routine. They arrived early each morning andsniffed and scratched and scurried16 around Cheese Station C, inspecting the area to see if there hadbeen any changes from the day before. Then they would sit down to nibble17 on the cheese.
One morning they arrived at Cheese Station C and discovered there was no cheese.
They weren't surprised. Since Sniff and Scurry had noticed the supply of cheese had been gettingsmaller every day, they were prepared for the inevitable18 and knew instinctively19 what to do.
They looked at each other, removed the running shoes they had tied together and hung convenientlyaround their necks, put them on their feet and laced them up.
The mice did not overanalyze things. And they were not burdened with many complex beliefs.
To the mice, the problem and the answer were both simple. The situation at Cheese Station C hadchanged. So, Sniff and Scurry decided20 to change.
They both looked out into the maze. Then Sniff lifted his nose, sniffed15 and nodded to Scurry, whotook off running through the maze while Sniff followed as fast as he could.
They were quickly off in search of New Cheese.
Later that same day, Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station C. They had not been payingattention to the small changes that had been taking place each day, so they took it for granted theirCheese would be there.
They were unprepared for what they found.
"What! No Cheese?" Hem yelled. He continued yelling, "No Cheese? No Cheese?" as though ifhe shouted loud enough someone would put it back.
"Who moved my Cheese?" he hollered.
Finally, he put his hands on his hips22, his face turned red, and he screamed at the top of his voice,"It's not fair!" Haw just shook his head in disbelief. He, too, had counted on finding Cheese at Cheese Station C.
He stood there for a long time, frozen with shock. He was just not ready for this.
Hem was yelling something, but Haw didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to deal with what wasfacing him, so he just tuned23 everything out.
The littlepeople's behavoir was not very attractive or productive but it was understandable.
Finding Cheese wasn't easy, and it meant a great deal more to the littlepeople than just havingenough of it to eat every day.
Finding Cheese was the littlepeoples' way of getting what they though they needed to be happy.
They had their own ideas of what Cheese meant to them, depending on their taste.
For some, finding Cheese was having material things. For others it was enjoying good health, ordeveloping a spiritual sense of well-being24.
For Haw, Cheese just meant feeling safe, having a loving family someday and living in a cozycottage on Cheddar Lane.
To Hem, Cheese was becoming A Big Cheese in charge of others and owning a big house atopCamembert Hill.
Because Cheese was important to them, the two littlepeople spent a long time trying to decide whatto do. All they could think of was to keep looking around Cheeseless Station C to see if the Cheesewas really gone.
While Sniff and Scurry had quickly moved on, Hem and Haw continued to hem and haw.
They ranted21 and raved25 at the injustice26 of it all. Haw started to get depressed27. What would happenif the Cheese wasn't there tomorrow? He had made future plans based on this Cheese.
The little people couldn't believe it. How could this have happened? No one had warned them. Itwasn't right. It was not the way things were supposed to be.
Hem and Haw went home that night hungry and discouraged. But before they left, Haw wrote onthe wall :
THE MORE IMPORTANT YOUR CHEESE IS TO YOU THE MORE YOU WANT TO HOLD ON TO IT.
The next day Hem and Haw left their homes, and returned to Cheese Station C again, where theystill expected, somehow, to find their Cheese.
The situation hadn't changed, the Cheese was no longer there. The littlepeople didn't know what todo. Hem and Haw just stood there, immobilized like two statues.
Haw shut his eyes as tight as he could and put his hands over his ears. He just wanted to blockeverything out. He didn't want to know the Cheese supply had gradually been getting smaller. Hebelieved it had been moved all of a sudden.
Hem analyzed28 the situation over and over and eventually his complicated brain with its huge beliefsystem took hold, "Why did they do this to me?" he demanded. "What's really going on here?"Finally, Haw opened his eyes, looked around and said, "By the way, where are Sniff and Scurry?
Do you think they know something we don't?"Hem scoffed29, "What would they know?"Hem continued, "They're just simple mice. They just respond to what happens. We're littlepeople.
We're special. We should be able to figure this out. And, besides, we deserve better.
"This should not happen to us, and if it does, we should at least get some benefits.""Why should we get benefits?" Haw asked.
"Because we're entitled," Hem claimed.
"Entitled to what?" Haw wanted to know.
"We're entitled to our Cheese." "Why?" Haw asked.
"Because, we didn't cause this problem." Hem said. "Somebody else did this and we should getsomething out of it."Haw suggested, "Maybe we should stop analyzing30 the situation so much and just get along and findsome new Cheese.""Oh no," Hem argued. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this."While Hem and Haw were still trying to decide what to do, Sniff and Scurry were already well ontheir way. They went farther into the maze, up and down corridors, looking for cheese in everyCheese Station they could find.
They didn't think of anything else but finding New Cheese.
They didn't find any for sometime until they finally went into an area of the maze where they hadnever been before: Cheese Station N.
They squealed31 with delight. They found what they had been looking for: a great supply of NewCheese.
They could hardly believe their eyes. It was the biggest store of cheese the mice had ever seen.
In the meantime, Hem and Haw were still back in Cheese Station C evaluation32 their situation. Theywere now suffering from the effects of having no Cheese. They were becoming frustrated33 andangry and were blaming each other for the situation they were in.
Now and then Haw thought about his mice buddies34, Sniff and Scurry, and wondered if they hadfound any cheese yet. He believed they might be having a hard time, as running through the mazeusually involved some uncertainty35. But he also knew that it was likely to only last for a while.
Sometimes, Haw would imagine Sniff and Scurry finding New Cheese and enjoying it. He thoughtabout how good it would be for him to be out on an adventure in the maze, and to find fresh NewCheese. He could almost taste it.
The more clearly Haw saw the image of himself finding and enjoying the New Cheese, the more hesaw himself leaving Cheese Station C.
"Let's go!" he exclaimed, all of a sudden.
"No," Hem quickly responded. "I like it here. It's comfortable. It's what I know. Besides it'sdangerous out there.""No it isn't," Haw argued. "We've run through many parts of the maze before, and we can do itagain.""I'm getting too old for that," Hem said. "And I'm afraid I'm not interested in getting lost and makinga fool of myself. Are you?"With that, Haw's fear of failing returned and his hope of finding New Cheese faded.
So every day, the littlepeople continued to do what they had done before. They went to CheeseStation C, found no Cheese, and returned home, carrying their worried and frustrations36 with them.
They tried to deny what was happening, but found it harder to get to sleep, had less energy the nextday, and were becoming irritable37.
Their homes were not the nurturing38 places they once were. The littlepeople had difficulty sleepingand were having nightmares about not finding any Cheese.
But Hem and Haw still returned to Cheese Station C and waited there every day.
Hem said, "You know, if we just work harder we'll find that nothing has really changed that much.
The Cheese is probably nearby. Maybe they just hid it behind the wall."The next day, Hem and Haw returned with tools. Hem held the chisel39 while Haw banged on thehammer until they made a hole in the wall of Cheese Station C. They peered inside but found noCheese.
They were disappointed but believed they could solve the problem. So they started earlier, stayedlonger, and worked harder. But after a while, all they had was a large hole in the wall.
Haw was beginning to realize the difference between activity and productivity.
"Maybe," Hem said, "we should just sit here and see what happens. Sooner or later they have toput the Cheese back."Haw wanted to believe that. So each day he went home to rest and returned reluctantly with Hemto Cheese Station C. But Cheese never reappeared.
By now the littlepeople were growing weak from hunger and stress. Haw was getting tired of justwaiting for their situation to improve. He began to see that the longer they stayed in theirCheeseless situation, the worse off they would be.
Haw knew they were losing their edge.
Finally, one day Haw began laughing at himself. "Haw, haw, look at me. I keep doing the samethings over and over again and wonder why things don't get better. If this wasn't so ridiculous, itwould be even funnier."Haw did not like the idea of having to run through the maze again, because he knew he would getlost and have no idea where he would find any Cheese. But he had to laugh at his folly40 when hesaw what his fear was doing to him.
He asked Hem, "Where did we put our jogging suits and running shoes?" It took a long time to findthem because they had put everything away when they found their Cheese at Cheese Station C,thinking they wouldn't be needing them anymore.
As Hem saw his friend getting into his running gear, he said, "You're not really going out into themaze again, are you? Why don't you just wait here with me until they put the Cheese back?""Because, you just don't get it," Haw said. "I didn't want to see it either, but how I realize they'renever going to put the Old Cheese back. That was yesterday's Cheese. It's time to find NewCheese."Hem argued, "But what if there is no Cheese out there? Or even if there is, what if you don't find it?""I don't know," Haw said. He had asked himself those same questions too many times and startedto feel the fears again that kept him where he was.
Then he though about finding New Cheese and all the good things that came with it and gathered hiscourage.
"Sometimes," Haw said, "things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one ofthose times, Hem. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we."Haw looked at his emaciated41 companion and tried to talk sense to him, but Hem's fear had turnedinto anger and he wouldn't listen.
Haw didn't mean to be rude to his friend, but he had to laugh at how silly they both looked.
As Haw prepared to leave, he started to feel more alive, knowing that he was finally able to laugh athimself, let go and move on.
He announced, "It's maze time!"Hem didn't laugh and he didn't respond.
Haw picked up a small, sharp rock and wrote a serious thought on the wall for Hem to think about.
As was his custom, Haw even drew a picture of cheese around it, hoping it would help Hem to smile,lighten up, and go after the New Cheese. But Hem didn't want to see it.
It read:
IF YOU DO NOT CHANGE, YOU CAN BECOME EXTINCT.
Then, Haw stuck his head out and peered anxiously into the maze. He thought about how he'dgotten himself into this cheeseless situation.
He had believed that there may not be any Cheese in the maze, or he may not find it. Such fearfulbeliefs were immobilizing and killing42 him.
Haw smiled. He knew Hem was wondering, "Who moved my Cheese?" but Haw was wondering,"Why didn't I get up and move with the Cheese sooner?"As he started out into the maze, Haw looked back to where he had come from and felt its comfort.
He could feel himself being drawn43 back into familiar territory - even though he hadn't found Cheesethere for some time.
Haw became more anxious and wondered if he really wanted to go out into the maze. He wrote asaying on the wall ahead of him and stared at it for some time:
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WEREN'T AFRAID?
He thought about it.
He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse, ifyou don't do something, it can prompt you into an action. But it is not good when you are afraidthat it keeps you from doing anything.
He looked to his right, to the part of the maze where he had never been, and felt the fear.
Then, he took a deep breath, turned right into the maze, and jogged slowly, into the unknown.
As he tried to find his way, Haw worried, at first, that he might have waited too long in CheeseStation C. He hadn't had any Cheese for so long that he was now weak. It took him longer and itwas more painful than usual to get through the maze. He decided that if he ever got the chanceagain, he would adapt to change sooner. It would make things easier.
Then, Haw smiled a weak smile as he thought, "Better late than never." During the next several days, Haw found a little Cheese here and there, but nothing that lasted verylong. He had hoped to find enough Cheese to take some back to Hem and encourage him to comeout into the maze.
But Haw didn't feel confident enough yet. He had to admit, he found it confusing in the maze.
Things seemed to have changed since the last time he was out here.
Just when he thought he was getting ahead, he would get lost in the corridors. It seemed hisprogress was two steps forward and one step backwards44. It was a challenge, but he had to admitthat being back in the maze, hunting for Cheese wasn't nearly as bad as he feared it might be.
As time went on he began to wonder if it was realistic for him to expect to find New Cheese. Hewondered if he had bitten off more than he could chew. Then he laughed, realizing that he hadnothing to chew on at the moment.
Whenever he started to get discouraged he reminded himself that what he was doing, asuncomfortable as it was at the moment, was in reality much better than staying in the Chesselesssituation. He was taking control, rather than simply letting things happen to him.
Then he reminded himself, if Sniff and Scurry could move on, so could he!
Later, as Haw looked back on things, he realized that the Cheese at Cheese Station C had not justdisappeared overnight, as he had once thought. The amount of Cheese that had been there towardthe end had been getting smaller and what was left had grown old. It didn't taste as good.
Mold may even have begun to grow on the Old Cheese, although he hadn't noticed it. He had toadmit however, that if he had wanted to, he probably could have seen what was coming. But hedidn't.
Haw now realized that the change probably would not have taken him by surprise if he had beenwatching what was happening all long and if he had anticipated change. Maybe that's what Sniffand Scurry had been doing.
He stopped for a rest and wrote on the wall of the maze :
SMELL THE CHEESE OFTEN SO YOU KNOW WHEN IT IS GETTING OLD.
Sometime later, after not finding Cheese for what seemed like a long time, Haw finally came acrossa huge Cheese Station which looked promising45. When he went inside, however, he was mostdisappointed to discover that the Cheese station was empty.
"This empty feeling has happened to me too often," he thought. He felt like giving up.
Haw was losing his physical strength. He knew he was lost and was afraid he would not survive.
He thought about turning around and heading back to Cheese Station C. At least, if he made it back,and Hem was still there, Haw wouldn't be alone. Then he asked himself the same question, again:
"What would I do if I weren't afraid?"He was afraid more often than he liked to admit, even to himself. He wasn't always sure what hewas afraid of, but, in his weakened condition, he knew now he was simply fearful of going on alone.
Haw didn't know it, but he was running behind because he was weighed down by fearful beliefs.
Haw wondered if Hem had moved on, or if he was still paralysed by his fears. Then, Hawremembered the times when he had felt his best in the maze. It was when he was moving along.
He wrote on the wall, knowing it was as much a reminder46 to himself as it was a marking for hisbuddy Hem, hopefully, to follow :
MOVEMENT IN A NEW DIRECTION HELPS YOU FIND NEW CHEESE.
Haw looked down the dark passageway and was aware of his fear. What lay ahead? Was itempty? Or worse, were there dangers lurking47? He began to imagine all kinds of frightening thingsthat could happen to him. He was scaring himself to death.
Then he laughed at himself. He realized his fears were making things worse. So he did what hewould do if he wasn't afraid. He moved in a new direction.
As he started running down the dark corridor he began to smile. Haw didn't realize it yet, but hewas discovering what nourished his soul. He was letting go and trusting what lay ahead for him,even though he did not know exactly what it was.
To his surprise, Haw started to enjoy himself more and more. "Why do I feel so good?" hewondered. "I don't have any Cheese and I don't know where I am going."Before long, he knew why he felt good.
He stopped to write again on the wall :
WHEN YOU MOVE BEYOND YOUR FEAR, YOU FEEL FREE.
Haw realized he had been held captive by his own fear. Moving in a new direction had freed him.
Now he felt the cool breeze that was blowing in this part of the maze and it was refreshing48. Hetook in some deep breaths and felt invigorated by the movement. Once he had gotten past his fear,it turned out to be more enjoyable than he once believed it could be.
Haw hadn't felt this way for a long time. He had almost forgotten how much fun it was.
To make things even better, Haw started to paint a picture in his mind. He saw himself in greatrealistic detail, sitting in the middle of a pile of all his favourite cheeses - from Cheddar to Brie!
He saw himself eating the many cheeses he likes, and he enjoyed what he saw. Then he imaginedhow much he would enjoy all the great tastes.
The more clearly he saw the imagine of New Cheese, the more real it became, and the more hecould sense that he was going to find it.
He wrote:
IMAGINING MYSELF ENJOYING NEW CHEESE EVEN BEFORE I FIND IT, LEADS ME TO IT.
"Why didn't I do this before?" Haw asked himself.
Then he raced through the maze the greater strength and agility49. Before long he spotted50 a CheeseStation and became excited as he noticed little pieces of New Cheese near the entrance.
They were types of Cheeses he had never seen before, but they looked great. He tried them andfound that they were delicious. He ate most of the New Cheese bits that were available and put afew in his pocket to have later and perhaps share with Hem. He began to regain51 his strength.
He entered the Cheese Station with great excitement. But, to his dismay, he found it was empty.
Somehow had already been there and had left only the few bits of New Cheese.
He realized that if he had moved sooner, he would very likely have found a good deal of NewCheese here.
Haw decided to go back and see if Hem was ready to join him.
As he retraced52 his stops, he stopped and wrote on the wall :
THE QUICKER YOU LET GO OF OLD CHEESE, THE SOONER YOU FIND NEW CHEESE.
After a while Haw made his way back to Cheese Station C and found Hem. He offered Hem bits ofNew Cheese, but was turned down.
Hem appreciated his friend's gesture but said, "I don't think I would like New Cheese. It's not whatI'm used to. I want my own Cheese back and I'm not going to change until I get what I want."Haw just shook his head in disappointment and reluctantly went back out on his own. As hereturned to the farthest point he had reached in the maze, he missed his friend, but realized he likedwhat he was discovering. Even before he found what he hoped would be a great supply of NewCheese, if ever, he knew that what made him happy wasn't just having Cheese.
He was happy when he wasn't being run by his fear. He liked what he was doing now.
Knowing this, Haw didn't feel as weak as he did when he stayed in Cheese Station C with no Cheese.
Just realizing he was not letting his fear stop him and knowing that he had taken a new directionnourished him and gave him strength.
Now he felt that it was just a question of time before he found what he needed. In fact, he sensedhe had already found what he was looking for.
He smiled as he realized:
IT IS SAFER TO SEARCH IN THE MAZE THAN REMAIN IN A CHEESELESS SITUATION.
Haw realised again, as he had once before, that what you are afraid of is never as bad as what youimagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exits.
He's been so afraid of never finding New Cheese that he didn't even want to start looking. Butsince starting his journey he had found enough Cheese in the corridors to keep him going. Now helooked forward to finding more. Just looking ahead was becoming exciting.
His old thinking had been clouded by his worries and fears. He used to think about not havingenough Cheese, or not having it last as long as he wanted. He used to think more about what couldgo wrong than what could go right.
But that had changed in the days since he had left Cheese Station C.
He used to believe that Cheese should never be moved and that change wasn't right.
Now he realized it was natural for change to continually occur, whether you expect it or not.
Change could surprise you only if you didn't expect it and weren't looking for it.
When he realized he had changed his beliefs, he paused to write on the wall :
OLD BELIEFS DO NOT LEAD YOU TO NEW CHEESE.
Haw hadn't found any Cheese yet but, as he ran through the maze, he thought about what he hadalready learned.
How now realized that his new beliefs were encouraging new behaviors. He was behavingdifferently than when he kept returning to the same cheeseless station.
He knew when you change what you believe, you change what you do.
You can believe that a change will harm you and resist it. Or you can believe that finding NewCheese will help you to embrace the changed.
It all depends on what you choose to believe.
He wrote on the wall :
WHEN YOU SEE THAT YOU CAN FIND AND ENJOY NEW CHEESE, YOU CHANGE COURSE.
Haw knew he would be in a better shape now if he had embraced the changed much sooner and leftCheese Station C earlier. He would feel stronger in body and spirit and he could have coped betterwith the challenge of finding New Cheese. In fact, he probably would have found it by now if hehad expected change, rather than wasting time denying that the change had already taken place.
He gathered his will and decided to keep proceeding53 into the newer parts of the maze. He foundlittle bits of Cheese here and there and began to regain his strength and confidence.
As he thought back on where he had come from, Haw was glad he had written on the wall in manyplaces. He trusted it would serve as a marked trail for Hem to follow through the maze, if he choseto leave Cheese Station C.
He just hoped he was heading in the right direction. He thought about the possibility that Hemwould read The Handwriting On The Wall and find his way.
He wrote on the wall what he had been thinking about for some time :
NOTICING SMALL CHANGES EARLY HELPS YOU ADAPT TO THE BIGGER CHANGES THAT ARETO COME.
By now, Haw had let go of the past and was adapting to the future.
He continued on through the maze with greater strength and speed. And before long, it happened.
When it seemed like he had been in the maze forever, his journey - or at least this part of hisjourney - ended quickly and happily.
Haw found New Cheese at Cheese Station N!
When he went inside, he was startled by what he saw. Piled high everywhere was the greatestsupply of Cheese he had ever seen. He didn't recognize all that he saw, as some kinds of Cheesewere new to him.
Then he wondered for a moment whether it was real or just his imagination, until he saw his oldfriends Sniff and Scurry.
Sniff welcomed Haw with a nod of his head, and Scurry waved his paw. Their fat little belliesshowed 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 offhis shoes and jogging suit and folded them neatly54 nearby in case he needed them again. Then hejumped into the New Cheese. When he had eaten his fill, he lifted a piece of fresh Cheese andmade a toast. "Hooray for Change!"As Haw enjoyed the New Cheese, he reflected on what he had learned.
He realized that when he had been afraid to change he had been holding on to the illusion of OldCheese that was no longer there.
So what was it made him change? Was it the fear of starving to death? Haw thought, "Well, thathelped." Then he laughed and realized that he had started to change as soon as he had learned to laugh athimself and at what he had been doing wrong. He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh atyour 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 situationchanged and the Cheese had been moved, they changed and moved with the Cheese. He wouldremember 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. Heknew 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 bigchange 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 bigger inhibitor to change lies within yourself, and that nothing gets betteruntil you change.
Perhaps most important of all, he realized that there is always New Cheese out there whether yourecognize it at the time or not. And that you are rewarded with it when you go past your fear andenjoy the adventure.
He knew some fear should be respected, as it can keep you out of real danger. But he realizedmost of his fears were irrational55 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 blessing56 in disguiseas it led him to find better Cheese.
He had even found a better part of himself.
As Haw recalled what he had learned, he thought about his friend Hem. He wondered if Hem hadread any of the sayings Haw had written on the wall at Cheese Station C and throughout the maze.
Had Hem ever decided to let go and move on? Had he ever entered the maze and discovered whatcould make his life better.
Haw thought about going back again to Cheese Station C to see if he could find Hem - assumingthat Haw could find his way back there. If he found Hem, he thought he might be able to show himhow to get out of his predicament. But Haw realized that he had already tried to get his friend tochange.
Hem had to find his own way, beyond his comforts and past his fears. No one else could do it forhim, or talk him into it. He somehow had to see the advantage of changing himself.
Haw knew he had left a trail for Hem and that he could find his way, if he could just read TheHandwriting On The Wall.
He went over and wrote down a summary of what he had learned on the largest wall of CheeseStation N. He drew a large piece of cheese around all the insights he had become aware of, andsmiled as he looked at what he had learned:
THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALLCHANGE HAPPENSTHEY KEEP MOVING THE CHEESEANTICIPATE CHANGEGET READY FOR THE CHEESE TO MOVEMONITOR CHANGESMELL THE CHEESE OFTEN SO YOU KNOW WHEN IT IS GETTING OLD ADAPT TO CHANGE QUICKLYTHE QUICKER YOU LET GO OF OLD CHEESE,THE SOONER YOU CAN ENJOY NEW CHEESECHANGEMOVE WITH THE CHEESEENJOY CHANGE!
SAVOR THE ADVENTURE ANDENJOY THE TASTE OF NEW CHEESEBE READY TO CHANGE QUICKLY AND ENJOY IT AGAINTHEY KEEP MOVING THE CHEESEANTICIPATE CHANGEGET READY FOR THE CHEESE TO MOVEMONITOR CHANGESMELL THE CHEESE OFTEN SO YOU KNOW WHEN IT IS GETTING OLDADAPT TO CHANGE QUICKLYTHE QUICKER YOU LET GO OF OLD CHEESE,THE SOONER YOU CAN ENJOY NEW CHEESECHANGEMOVE WITH THE CHEESEENJOY CHANGE!
SAVOR THE ADVENTURE ANDENJOY THE TASTE OF NEW CHEESEBE READY TO CHANGE QUICKLY AND ENJOY IT AGAINTHEY KEEP MOVING THE CHEESEHaw realized how far he had come since he had been with Hem in Cheese Station C, but knew it would be easy for him to slip back if he got too comfortable. Each day he inspected Cheese StationN to see what the condition of his Cheese was. He was going to do whatever he could to avoidbeing surprised by unexpected change.
While Haw still had a great supply of Cheese, he often went out into the maze and explored Newareas to stay in touch with what was happening around him. He knew it was safer to be aware ofhis real choices than to isolate57 himself in his comfort zone.
Then, Haw heard what he thought was the sound of movement out in the maze. As the noise grewlouder, he realized that someone was coming.
Could it be that Hem was arriving? Was he about to turn the corner?
Haw said a little prayer and hoped - as he had many times before - that maybe, at last, his friendwas finally able to .
MOVE WITH THE CHEESE AND ENJOY IT!
“谁动了我的奶酪?”的故事
从前，在一个遥远的地方，住着四个小家伙。为了填饱肚子和享受乐趣，他们每天在不远处的一座奇妙的迷宫里跑来跑去，在哪里寻找一种叫做“奶酪”的黄橙橙、香喷喷的食物。
有两个小家伙是老鼠，一个叫“嗅嗅”，临一个叫“匆匆”。另外两个家伙是小矮人，和老鼠一样大小，但和人一个模样，而且他们的行为也和我们今天的人类差不多。他俩的名字，一个叫“哼哼”，另一个叫“唧唧”。
由于他们四个实在太小了，他们在干什么当然不太会引起旁人的注意。但如果你凑近去仔细观察，你会发现许多令人惊奇不已的事情！
两个小老鼠和两个小矮人每天都在迷宫中度过，在其中寻找他们各自喜欢的奶酪。嗅嗅、匆匆的大脑和其他啮齿类动物的差不多一样简单，但他们有很好的直觉。和别的老鼠一样，他们喜欢的是那种适合啃咬的、硬一点的奶酪。
而那两个小矮人，哼哼和唧唧，则靠脑袋行事，他们的脑袋里装满了各种各样的信念和情感。他们要找的是一种带字母“C”的那奶酪。他们相信，这样的奶酪会给他们带来幸福。使他们成功。
尽管小老鼠和小矮人的目标各不相同，但他们做的事情是差不多的。每天早上，他们会各自穿上运动服和慢跑鞋，离开他们的小房子，跑进迷宫寻找他们各自钟爱的奶酪。
迷宫中有许多曲折的走廊和好像蜂窝的房间，其中的一些房间里藏着美味的奶酪，但更多的地方是黑暗的角落和隐藏的死胡同，任何人走进去都很容易迷路。
同时，这座迷宫还有一种神奇的力量，对那些找到出路的人，它能使他们享受到美好的生活。
两个小老鼠，嗅嗅和匆匆，总是运用简单低效的反复尝试的办法找奶酪。他们跑进一条走廊，如果走廊的房间都是空的，他们就返回来，再去另一条走廊搜寻。没有奶酪的走廊都会记住。就这样，很快地他们从一个地方找到另一个地方。嗅嗅可以用他那了不起的鼻子嗅出奶酪大致的方向，匆匆则跑在前面开路。然而迷宫太大太复杂，如你所料，他们经常会迷路，离开正道走错了方向，有时甚至还会撞倒墙上。
两个小矮人，哼哼和唧唧，则运用他们思考的能力，从过去的经验中学习。他们靠复杂的脑筋，搞出了一套复杂的寻找奶酪的方法。
哼哼和唧唧的方法比他们的老鼠朋友要高效，因此他们走进死胡同和碰壁的情况要比小老鼠们烧得多。他们也为此而时常沾沾自喜很是得意，甚至有些看不起低智商的老鼠朋友。然而有时候，人类复杂的头脑所带来的复杂感情也会战胜他们的理性思维，使他们看问题的眼光变得暗淡起来。这也使得他们在迷宫里的生活更加复杂化，也更具有挑战性了。
但不管怎样，这四个家伙嗅嗅和匆匆，哼哼和唧唧，都以他们各自不同的方式不懈的追寻着他们想要得到的东西。最后，终于有一天，在某个走廊的尽头，在奶酪C站，他们都找到了自己想要的奶酪。
这里真是一个天堂，四个小家伙被眼前的情景惊呆了，无数各种各样的奶酪堆积如山，闪着诱人的光亮。四个小家伙呆了半晌，然后就疯了般地冲进奶酪堆，开始狂欢。
从那以后，这四个家伙，小老鼠和小矮人，每天早上穿上他们的跑步装备后便毫不犹豫地直奔奶酪C站。不久，他们都建立了熟悉的路线，并形成了各自的生活习惯。
嗅嗅和匆匆仍旧每天都起得很早，然后沿着相同的路线跑进迷宫中。
当老鼠们到达目的地后，他们脱下自己的跑鞋，有条不紊地将两只鞋系在一起，挂在脖子上;以便需要的时候很快穿上。然后他们才开始尽情地享用奶酪。
在开始一段时间里，哼哼和唧唧也是如此行事，每天早上赶到奶酪C站，按部就班的把鞋子挂在脖子上，享用在那里等着他们的美味佳肴。
然而不久以后，小矮人们改变了他们的常规。
哼哼和唧唧每天起得比老鼠们晚一些，懒懒地穿好运动服，然后信步走到奶酪C站。不管怎样，反正已经找到了奶酪。
他们从没想过，奶酪是从哪里来的，是谁把他们放在那里的。他们只是理所当然地认为，奶酪总是会在 那里的。
每天，哼哼和唧唧到奶酪C站以后，就像回到自己的家一样，舒服的呆在哪里。他们脱下运动衣，把它们挂起来，甩掉脚上的鞋子，换上拖鞋。他们找到了奶酪，感觉实在是太惬意了。
“真是太好了！”哼哼说：“这里有这么多奶酪，足够我们享用一辈子了。”小矮人们充满了幸福和成功的感觉，觉得从此可以无忧无虑了。
不久，哼哼和唧唧更理所当然地认定，他们在奶酪C站发现的奶酪就是“他们自己的”奶酪了。这里的奶酪库存是如此的丰富，于是他们决定把家搬到各靠近奶酪C站的地方，还在周围一带开展了他们的社交活动。
为了使这里更像家的感觉，哼哼和唧唧把墙壁装饰了一通，还在墙上写了一些格言，并精心地画上了一些非常可口的奶酪的图案。他们看着这些图画和格言，会心地笑了，其中一幅图画的内容是：
拥有奶酪，
就拥有幸福。
有时，他们会带朋友来参观他们在奶酪C站里成堆的奶酪，自豪地指着这些奶酪说：“多么美妙可口的奶酪呀，不是吗？”有时，他们还会与朋友们一起分享这些奶酪，而有时则是单独享用。
“我们应该拥有这些奶酪，”哼哼说，“为了找到它们，我们可是付出了长期而艰苦的努力的，我们当然有资格拥有它们。”他一边说着一边拿起一块鲜美的奶酪放进嘴里，享用起来，脸上流露出幸福的光彩。
然后，就像往常一样，哼哼享受完奶酪便睡着了，梦里还路除满足而惬意的笑容。
每天晚上，小矮人们在美美地饱餐了奶酪后，就摇摇摆摆地走回家，第二天早上他们又会信心十足地走进奶酪C站，去享用更多的奶酪。
这样的境况维持了相当长的一段时间。
逐渐地，哼哼和唧唧的自信开始膨胀起来。面对成功，他们开始变得妄自尊大。在这种安逸的生活中，它们丝毫没有察觉到正在发生的变化。
随着时间的流逝，嗅嗅和匆匆日复一日地重复着他们的生活。每天早早地赶到奶酪C站，四处闻一闻、抓一抓，看看这区域和前一天有什么不一样。等到确定没有任何异常后他们才会坐下来细细品味奶酪，好好享受一番。
一天早上，当嗅嗅和匆匆到达奶酪C站时，发现这里已经没有奶酪了。
对此，他们并不感到吃惊，因为他们早已察觉到，最近好像有一些奇异的事情正在奶酪C站里发生，因为这里的奶酪已经越来越小，并且一天比一天少了。他们对这种不可避免的情况早有心理准备，而且直觉地知道该怎么办。
他们相互对望了一眼，毫不犹豫地取下挂在脖子上的跑鞋，穿上脚并系好鞋带。
两只小老鼠对此并没有做什么全面细致的分析，事实上，也没有足够复杂的脑细胞可以支持他们进行这么复杂的思维。
对老鼠来说，问题和答案都是一样的简单。奶酪C站的情况发生了变化，所以，他们也决定随之而变化。
他们同时望向迷宫深处。嗅嗅扬起他的鼻子闻了闻，朝匆匆点点头，匆匆立刻拔腿跑向迷宫的深处，嗅嗅则紧跟其后。
他们开始迅速行动，去别的地方寻找新的奶酪，甚至连头都没有回一下。
同一天的晚些时候，哼哼和唧唧也像往常一样溜溜达达地来到奶酪Ｃ站，一路上哼着小曲。他们过去一直没有察觉到这里每天都在发生的细小变化，而想当然地以为他们地奶酪还在那里。
面对新的情况，他们毫无准备。
“怎么！竟然没有奶酪？”哼哼大叫道，然后他开始不停地大喊大叫，“没有奶酪？怎么可能没有奶酪？”好像他叫喊地声音足够大的话，就会谁把奶酪送回来似的。
“谁动了我的奶酪？”他声嘶力竭地呐喊着。
最后，他把手放在屁股上，脸憋得通红，用他最大的嗓门叫道：“这不公平！”
唧唧则站在那里，一个劲的摇头，不相信这里已经发生的变化。对此，他同样没有任何心里准备，他满以为在这里照旧可以找到奶酪。他长时间地站在那里，久久不能动弹，完全被这个意外给惊呆了。
哼哼还在疯狂地叫嚷着什么，但唧唧不想听，他不想面对眼前的现实，他拼命告诉自己，这只是一个噩梦，他只想回避这一切。
他们的行为并不可取，而且也于事无补，但我们总还是能够理解的。
要知道找到奶酪并不是一件容易的事情。更何况，对这两个小矮人来说，奶酪绝不仅仅只是一样填饱肚子的东西，它意味着他们悠闲的生活、意味着他们的荣誉、意味着他们的社交关系以及更多重要的事情。
对他们来说，找到奶酪是获得幸福的唯一途径。根据不同的偏爱，他们对奶酪的意义有各自不同的看法。
对有些人而言，奶酪代表的是一种物质上的享受；而对另一些人来说，奶酪则意味着健康的生活，或者是一种安宁富足的精神世界。
对唧唧来说，奶酪意味着安定，意味着某一天能够拥有一个可爱的家庭，生活在名人社区的一座舒适的别墅里。
对哼哼来说，拥有奶酪可以使他成为大人物，可以领导很多的人，而且可以在卡米伯特山顶上拥有一座华丽的宫殿。
由于奶酪对他们实在太重要了，所以这两个小矮人花了很长时间试图决定该怎么办。但他们所能够想到的，只是在奶酪Ｃ站里寻找，看看奶酪是否真的不存在了。
当嗅嗅和匆匆已经迅速行动的时候，哼哼和唧唧还在那里不停地哼哼唧唧、犹豫不决。
他们情绪激动地大声叫骂这世界的不公平，用尽一切恶毒的语言去诅咒那个搬走了他们奶酪的黑心贼。然后唧唧开始变的消沉起来，没有了奶酪，明天会怎样？他对未来的计划完全都建立在这些奶酪的基础上面的啊！
这两个小矮人不能接受这一切。这一切怎么可能发生呢？没有任何人警告过他们，这是不对的，事情不应该是这个样子的，他们始终无法相信眼前的事实。
那天晚上，哼哼和唧唧饥肠辘辘、沮丧地回到家里。在离开之前，唧唧在墙上写下了一句话：
奶酪对你越重要，
你就越想抓住它。
第二天，辗转难眠了一晚上的哼哼和唧唧早早地离开家又回到奶酪C站，不管怎样，他们抱着一线希望，他们不断地欺骗自己，假定昨天走错了地方，他们仍然希望找回他们的奶酪。奶酪站的位置没有变化，然而奶酪的的确确早已不复存在。两个小矮人顿时手足无措，不知道该怎么办。哼哼和唧唧只是站在那里，一动不动，就像两座毫无生气的雕像。
唧唧紧紧闭上眼睛，用手捂住自己的耳朵，他只想把一切都堵在外面。他不愿相信奶酪是逐渐变得越来越小的，他宁愿相信奶酪是突然之间被全部拿走的。
哼哼则把现在的情况分析了又分析，他用他复杂的大脑把他所有的信条都翻了个遍。“他们为什么要这样做？”他终究没能找到答案，“这里究竟发生了什么事情？”
终于，唧唧睁开了眼睛，朝周围看了看说：“顺便问一下，嗅嗅和匆匆现在在哪里？你是否觉得他们知道某些我们还不知道的事情？”
“那两个弱智，他们能知道些什么？”哼哼的语气中充满了不屑。
他继续说：“他们只是头脑简单的老鼠，他们只会对发生的事情做出简单的反应。而我们是机伶聪明的小矮人，我们比老鼠有头脑。我们应该能够推测出这里的情况。”
“我知道我们更聪明，”唧唧说，“但是，我们现在的行为好像并不怎么聪明。我们周围的情况已经发生了变化，哼哼，也许我们需要做出一些改变，去做点什么不同的事情。”
“我们为什么要改变？”哼哼问道，“我们是小矮人，我们是不一样的。这样的事情不应该发生在我们的身上。即使出现了这样的情况，我们至少也应该从中得到一些补偿。”
“为什么我们应该得到一些补偿呢？”唧唧问。
“因为我们有这样的权利。”哼哼宣称。
“有什么样的权利？”唧唧不明白。
“有拥有我们奶酪的权利。”
“为什么？”唧唧还是不明白。
“因为这个问题不是我们引起的，”哼哼说，“是某些别有用心的人制造了这个局面，而不是我们，所 以我坚持认为我们总应该从中得到些补偿。”
“也许我们应该停止这种无用的分析，”唧唧提议，“分析问题到此为止。在我们还没有被饿死之前，我们应该赶紧出发去找新的奶酪。”
“噢，不！”哼哼反对说，“我们快要找到问题的根源了，要知道，我们曾经拥有过那么多、那么好的奶酪啊！”
当哼哼和唧唧还在争执着试图决定该怎么办的时候，嗅嗅和匆匆已经在很顺利的做他们的事情了。他们进入了迷宫的更深处，走过一条又一条走廊，在每一个他们遇到的奶酪站里仔细寻找着奶酪。
除了倾尽全力地寻找新的奶酪，他们并不考虑任何别的事情。
有好一段时间，他们找得很辛苦却一无所获。直到他们走进迷宫中一个他们从未到过的地方：奶酪N站。
他们高兴得尖叫起来，他们终于发现了他们一直在寻找的东西：大量新鲜的奶酪。
他们简直不敢相信自己的眼睛，这是他们见过的最大的奶酪仓库。
而与此同时，哼哼和唧唧仍然呆在奶酪C站，对他们目前的处境进行揣摩。他们正在忍受着失去了奶酪的痛苦，挫折感、饥饿感和由此而来的愤怒紧紧围绕着他们，折磨着他们，他们甚至为陷入眼前的困境而相互指责。
唧唧仍然时时想起他的老鼠朋友，猜想他们现在是否已经找到了奶酪。他相信他们也许过得很困难。在迷宫中穿行，总会面临许多难以预料的事情。但他也知道，什么事情也得有不容易的一个阶段。
有时，唧唧会想出嗅嗅和匆匆已经找到了新的奶酪并正在享用他们的情景。他忽然有一种冲动，想到迷宫中冒险去寻找新的奶酪。在迷宫中探险，找到新的奶酪并尽情享用，这一切该是多么的美好啊！想到这里，他觉得仿佛自己已经尝到了新鲜奶酪的美味。
正在寻找和享用新的奶酪，这样的情景在唧唧的头脑中越来越清晰。他觉得自己越来越想离开奶酪C站，出发去寻找新的奶酪。
突然，他大声宣布道：“我们走吧！”
“不！”哼哼很快作出了反应：“我喜欢这里。我只熟悉这里，这里很好很舒服。再说，离开这里到外 面去是很危险的。”
“不会的，”唧唧说：“以前我们也曾经到过这个迷宫中的许多地方，我们还可以再去其他地方找找看。”
“我觉得自己已经有些老了，不能再做这种跑来跑去到处冒险的事了。”哼哼说：“而且，我也不想像个傻瓜似的，时常迷路。你觉得呢？”
听哼哼这么一说，失败的恐惧感又袭上了唧唧的心头，他的那点发现新奶酪的希望有逐渐消退了。
就这样，这两个小矮人继续作着以前每天所作的事。他们仍然每天都去奶酪C站，发现还是找不到奶酪，然后怀着忧虑和挫败的心情回到家里。
他们试图否认眼前发生的一切，开始失眠，力气一天比一天小，变得越来越烦躁易怒。
他们的家，也不再是美好舒适的地方。他们睡不上一个安稳觉，而且每晚的时光都伴着找不到奶酪的噩梦度过。
但他们仍然每天回到奶酪C站，仍然每天在那里等待。
哼哼说：“你知道，如果我们再努力一些，我们也许会发现事情并没有发生太大的变化。奶酪也许就在 附近，他们也许只是被人藏到墙的后面去了。”
第二天，哼哼和唧唧带了工具回到奶酪C站。哼哼拿着凿子，唧唧则用锤子敲打。他们费了九牛二虎之力，终于在墙上打出了一个洞，朝里面窥视，却依旧没有发现奶酪的踪迹。
尽管他们感到非常失望，但他们仍然相信问题会得到解决，以后，他们起得更早，工作时间更长、更努力。但是，一段时间以后，他们得到的只是一个个更大的空洞。
唧唧开始认识到行动和结果之间的区别。
“也许，”哼哼说：“我们只需要坐在这里，看看到底会发生什么事情。迟早他们会把奶酪再送回来的。”
唧唧希望他说的是真的。这样，他每天回家休息，然后勉强陪着哼哼去奶酪C站察看情况。但是，奶酪始终没有再出现。
由于焦虑和饥饿，这两个小矮人已经变得有些虚弱。唧唧已经开始厌倦等待----完全被动地等着状况自己发生好转。他开始明白，他们在奶酪C站等待的时间越长，情况只会变得越糟糕。
唧唧明白，他们正失去自己的优势。
终于，有一天，唧唧开始自己嘲笑起自己来了：“唧唧呀唧唧，看看你自己吧！你居然等到每天重复同样的错误，还总是奇怪、怀疑为什么情况还没有得到改善，还有什么比你这种做法更可笑的呢？这如果不是荒谬，就是滑稽。”
唧唧并不想再到迷宫中去奔波。他知道他可能会迷路，而且他也不知道究竟应该到哪儿去寻找新的奶酪。但当他明白正是他的恐惧感使他如此裹足不前、坐以待毙的时候，他嘲笑自己的愚笨。
他问哼哼：“我们的运动衣和慢跑鞋放到哪里去了？”他花了很长时间才翻出了那些运动装备。当初，他们在奶酪C站找到奶酪以后，就把鞋啊什么的都扔到一边去了，因为他们满以为再也不会需要这些玩意儿了。
当哼哼看到他的朋友穿上运动服时，他说：“你不是真的要到迷宫中去吧？你为什么不留下来，和我一起在这里等，等着他们把奶酪送回来？”
“因为如果这么做，我们将永远不会得到那些奶酪，”唧唧大声说：“不会有人把奶酪送回来了，现在已经到了去寻找新的奶酪的时候了，不要再想那些早已不存在的奶酪了！”
哼哼争辩说：“但是如果外面也没有奶酪怎么办？或者，即使有奶酪，但你找不到，又怎么办？”
“我不知道。”唧唧不耐烦地说。同样的问题，他已经问过自己多少遍了。他又感到了那种使他停滞不前的恐惧感。
但是马上，他又想到如果真的找到了新的奶酪呢？那种享受新奶酪的喜悦再度鼓起了他的勇气。
他最后问自己：“你希望到哪里去找奶酪----这里还是迷宫中？”
于是他脑中出现了一幅图画，他看见自己面带微笑的在迷宫中探险。
这样的景象让他有些惊异，他发现自己终于克服了再次进入迷宫的恐惧。他看见自己在迷宫中迷了路，但仍然满怀信心地在那里寻找新的奶酪，一切美好的事物都随之而来。他又重新找回了自己的勇气。
于是，他尽量发挥自己的想象力，在脑海中为自己描绘了一幅他最信赖的、最具现实感的图画----他在寻找和品尝新的奶酪。
他仿佛看见自己坐在一大堆奶酪中央，正在尽情品尝各种奶酪，像蜂窝状的瑞士奶酪、鲜黄的英国切达干酪、美国奶酪和意大利干酪，还有美妙又柔软的法国卡米伯特奶酪，等等。
唧唧简直想的入了神，知道他听见哼哼在一边嘟囔着什么，他才意识到自己仍然还站在奶酪C站。
于是唧唧转过身来对哼哼说：“哼哼，有时候，事情发生了改变，就再也变不会原来的样子了。我们现在遇到的情况就是这样。这就是生活！生活在变化，日子在往前走，我们也应随之改变，而不是在原地踟蹰不前。”
唧唧看着他那因饥饿和沮丧而显得有些憔悴的朋友，试图给他分析一些道理。但是，哼哼的畏惧早已变成了气恼，他什么也听不进去。
唧唧并不想冒犯他的朋友，但是他还是忍不住要嘲笑他们自己，因为现在看起来他们俩真是又狼狈又愚蠢。
当唧唧准备要出发的时候，他觉得自己整个人都变的充满了活力，他挺起了胸膛，他的精神开始振作起来：“让我们出发吧。”
唧唧大笑着宣称：“这是一个迷宫的时代！”
哼哼笑不出来，他几乎没有任何反应。
唧唧拾起一块坚硬的小石头，在墙上写下一句恳切的话，留给哼哼去思考。他没有忘记自己的习惯，在这句话的周围画上奶酪的图案。唧唧希望着幅画能给哼哼带来一丝希望，会对哼哼有所启发，并促使哼哼起身去追寻新的奶酪。但是哼哼根本不想朝墙上看一眼。
墙上的话是：
如果你不改变，
你就会被淘汰。
在墙上留完言后，唧唧伸出脑袋小心翼翼地朝迷宫中望了望，回想着到达奶酪C站以前所走过的路线。
他曾经想过，也许迷宫中再也没有奶酪了，或者，他可能永远也找不到奶酪。这种悲观的情绪曾经那样深地植于他的心底，以至于差一点就毁了他。
想到这里，唧唧会心地微笑起来。他知道，哼哼现在一定还站在原地懊恼：“究竟是谁动了我的奶酪？”而唧唧此刻想到的确是：“我为什么没有早点行动起来，跟着奶酪移动呢？”
当唧唧终于走出奶酪C站踏入黑暗的迷宫时，他忍不住回头看了看这个曾经伴随他和哼哼很长一段时间的地方。那一瞬间他几乎无法控制自己，又想走回那个熟悉的地方，又想躲进那个虽然已没有奶酪但很安全的地方。
唧唧又有些担心起来，拿不准自己是否真的想要进入到迷宫中去。片刻以后，他又拿起石块在面前的墙上写下一句话，盯着它看了许久：
如果你无所畏惧，
你会怎样做呢？
他对着这句话苦思冥想。
他知道，有时候，有所畏惧是有好处的。当你害怕不做某些事情会使事情变的越来越糟糕时，恐惧心反而会激起你去采取行动。但是，如果因为过分害怕而不敢采取任何行动时，恐惧心就会变成前进道路上最大的障碍。
他朝迷宫的右侧瞧了瞧，心中生出了恐惧，因为他从未到过那里面。
然后，他深吸了一口气，朝迷宫的右侧缓步跑去，跑向那片未知的领地。
在探路的时候，唧唧有些担心起来，一开始他还在奶酪C站犹豫了那么久，因为长时间没有吃到奶酪了，他有些虚弱。现在，在迷宫中穿行要比以前更加吃力，花的时间更长。他打定主意，一旦再有机会，他一定要尽早走出舒适的环境去适应事务的变化。他觉得立刻采取措施会使事情变的容易一些。
想到这里，唧唧无力地微笑了一下，感叹道：“迟做总比不做好。”
接下来地几天里，唧唧在周围偶尔能够找到一点奶酪，但都吃不了多久。他曾经希望能够找到足够多的奶酪，带回去给哼哼，鼓励他离开原地，走进迷宫。
但是，唧唧还是感到有些信心不足，他不得不承认，身在迷宫中，他感到十分困惑。里面很多地方跟以前完全不一样了。
他这样想着朝前走去，他觉得自己已经走了好远，却又好像就要迷失在迂回曲折的走廊中了。这就好像是在走两步退一步，对他来说真是一种挑战。不过他还是要承认，回到迷宫中寻找奶酪，其实并不像他想像的那样可怕。
随着时间的流逝，他开始有些怀疑，找到新奶酪的希望是否能变成现实。有种幻觉，有时他怀疑是否自己嘴里的奶酪太多而嚼不过来，这时，想到自己根本没有东西可嚼，他不禁哑然失笑。
每当他开始感到泄气的时候，他就提醒自己正在做什么。尽管现在很难受，但这样总比呆在没有奶酪的地方更实际。他在掌握控制权，而不是听天由命、束手无策。
他还提醒自己，如果嗅嗅和匆匆能不断前行，那么自己也能做到！
后来，唧唧回想起过去的事情，他终于明白奶酪C站的奶酪并不是像他曾经相信的那样一夜之间突然消失的。奶酪的数量是逐渐变少，直至完全消失的。而且，剩下的那一点也已经陈旧变质，美味丧失殆尽了。
那些陈旧的奶酪上面或许已经生出了霉菌，只是他没有注意到罢了。他还得承认，只要他愿意，应该能够注意的到，可惜他当初没有留意这些变化。
唧唧还认识到，如果他一直能够察觉到这些变化而且能够预见到这些变化，那么，这些变化就不会让他感到吃惊。也许，嗅嗅和匆匆一直就是这样做的。
他打定主意，从现在起，他要
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maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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scurry
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| 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 | |
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rodent
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| n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的 | |
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nibbling
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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alleys
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| 胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径 | |
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inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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morsels
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| n.一口( morsel的名词复数 )；（尤指食物）小块，碎屑 | |
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slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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waddle
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| vi.摇摆地走；n.摇摆的走路(样子) | |
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arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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ranted
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| v.夸夸其谈( rant的过去式和过去分词 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨 | |
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hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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tuned
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| adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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raved
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| v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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analyzed
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| v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析 | |
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scoffed
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| 嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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analyzing
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| v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析 | |
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squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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evaluation
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| n.估价，评价；赋值 | |
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frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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buddies
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| 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 | |
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uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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frustrations
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| 挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意 | |
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irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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nurturing
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| 养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长 | |
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chisel
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| n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿 | |
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40
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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47
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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48
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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50
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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51
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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52
retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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53
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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54
neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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55
irrational
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| adj.无理性的，失去理性的 | |
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56
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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57
isolate
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| vt.使孤立，隔离 | |
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