After Twenty Years, People Are Still Moving My Cheese

00:02

Good evening and welcome to my humble podcast abode. I am Cocoa Griot, just a fifty-something who is so amped to talk to you about life, love, and a heap of other topics. My title is a nod to a book I read over twenty years ago, Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson. I decided I needed to revisit this book because of constant change during the pandemic. I don’t want to be a spoiler for those who have not read the book, but basically, it tells the story of how 4 mice reacted to their cheese being moved. This book is such an important reminder that we cannot always control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to what happens to us. The pandemic was an incredible cheese-moving event, in fact, I didn’t know if I was ever going to locate my cheese again once days turned into months, and now that months have turned into years. Of course, I am not talking about cheddar, smoked amaretto, or gouda cheese. Cheese is symbolic of what you want in life. Tonight I am sharing with you some important quotes from the book that are awesome guideposts!

01:13

The first quote that stands out to me as one that is helpful during the pandemic is “Sometimes, Hem, things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That's life! Life moves on. And so should we.” The reality of the pandemic is that things changed a lot. We had mandatory lockdowns, masks became a necessary accessory, and loss was prevalent all around us. The pandemic created a heaviness in our hearts that is hard to overcome, but life does move on and we have to as well. We had this new normal thrust upon us and adapting to it has not been easy. Many people are stressed beyond belief because it seems that we are all on an episode of the show Survivor. No matter what challenges occurred, we are still here and we must continue to adapt as changes occur. It is not easy, but it is necessary.

02:11

A second quote from this book that resonates with me is “Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” Now more than ever we need truth. Lies and misinformation have a heavy price tag, death. I often wonder what people gain by lying to the public about important health information. The controversies are numerous and huge. Media personalities have an enormous responsibility when it comes to what they share with the public. Whole news networks were vehicles of misinformation and wreckless broadcasts cost thousands of lives. I wanted to believe we are better than this, but some people have no integrity and they are constitutionally incapable of being honest.

02:59

A third quote that I think is important to remember is “Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come” This quote acknowledges the difficulty of change and it provides a suggestion of how we can manage experiencing change. As overwhelming as this is for us as adults, I have to think about the children who are adapting to school and other facets of life being different. If they see us managing the stress of change well, it can help them to adapt. Having conversations with kids centered around change can help them to understand they are not the reason something negative happens. Something I heard a long time ago stays with me today. A young woman was facing a challenging situation and an elder in her life said, “ I cannot promise you that things will be better, I can promise you they will be different. Setting the stage to embrace and navigate change is a better pathway to success than complete defiance or resistance.

We didn’t expect or want many of the situations that we have been faced with during this pandemic. My cheese is still moving, but so am I.

04:17

Thanks for listening this evening and as always I wish you good health, good fortune, and a good night! Cocoa Griot out!