Cheese is wonderful in an of itself without it being a metaphor for anything else. Mozarella, cheddar, colby, monterey jack, brie, swiss, feta, parmesan...I could go on and on. I don't know that I've ever met a cheese that I didn't like, well...except maybe the bleu cheese variations...roquefort, gorgonzola, etc. Not really a fan of cheese that tastes or smells spoiled. I know, I know, those are 'aged' cheeses...I'll take my cheese young and fresh thank you very much.
But this post isn't about any of those kinds of cheeses. It's about Cheese (with a capital C) as a metaphor for all the things in life that make us feel happy and fulfilled. For some people its money and financial security, for others its family and close friends, for some its the satisfaction of loving their jobs or a job well done. Cheese in this sense can have as many forms as people who envision these things. No, I didn't come up with this all by myself, God I wish I had though. It's from an amazing book by Dr. Spencer Johnson, who unlike Dr. Phil really is a Dr. Here is a link to a page for more information about the book Who Moved My Cheese? if you are so inclined to check it out.
See, while Cheese is a metaphor for the things that make us happy, we have to realize that 'they' the Powers That Be (or PTBs as I like to call them) keep moving it. Whether it is getting downsized or relocated, or any of a number of other things, change happens. The quick takeaways are that you have to know that change is inevitable, you have to be ready and willing to adapt quickly so you can find more Cheese and enjoy it quickly. If you get stagnant and paralyzed by fear of the unknown you will quickly find yourself stuck in a negative and Cheeseless situation.
Yes, I know this all sounds ridiculous. But for a short, quick little read of a book it challenged many things that have always thought to be true and it made a huge difference in the way I see things. Before we moved to Idaho we were in a cheeseless situation and didn't even realize it. We had become so used to having no cheese that it became a way of life.
One of the first really challenging questions posed in the book, that caused me to pause and challenge myself was - "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" So I ask you all the same. What would YOU do?
Great "C" post - as a fan of all things "cheese" I enjoyed this.
ReplyDeleteI have a copy of "Who Moved My Cheese? - great little book - a worthwhile read!
Smiles, Jenny
www.jennypearson.com
Someday we'll have to discuss your cheese pedophilia. For now, great post. I agree. "Who Moved My Cheese?" is excellent.
ReplyDeleteI hate bleu cheese too. Nasty crap. Just had to say it.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of "Who Moved My Cheese" but it really sounds like a book my husband needs to read. He doesn't even like changing browsers when one isn't working right.
I love me some bleu cheese. It is the one cheese and salad dressing that I know for sure no one in my house will touch other than me.
ReplyDeleteAnd this was a great post.
love the choice for your C post...cheese rocks
ReplyDeletei love cheese. real cheese. i too like my cheese young and fresh. i'm not a huge fan of blue cheeses either, or feta, but i have had raw cheese and it's.... well, okay i guess. i like goat cheese too.
ReplyDeleteanyway. what would i do if i weren't afraid? afraid of what? i fear the idea that fear will paralyze me. my issue isn't really fear but indecision. or batshit crazyness. or the fact that publix didn't have any FUCKING CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS. what the hell? what kind of fucking store doesn't have snyder's chocloate covered pretzels? especially when i drag my ass off the couch during a baseball game to go to the store SPECIFICALLY for snyder's chocolate covered pretzels? hmm?
Okay, I'm going to respond to comments from the last one up because I'm just feeling contrary like that.
ReplyDeleteSteph - you have cheese pedophilia too!!! Now I don't feel like such a perv. LOL! And WTH, how could they NOT have chocolate covered pretzels? How DARE they!!
G- It really is hard to not like cheese. I try to make these posts relevant and/or fun but sometimes you just have to fall back on something that is synonymous with comfort..
OT - I'll let you have all the bleu cheese and bleu cheese dressing you can stand. Of course I have to applaud your tactic of making sure there is always dressing that you like.
Ruth - honey, that book really is revolutionary. I know a lot of people who are resistant to change like your husband. Hell, I was one of them for the longest time....
Vinny - you make me feel so dirty and pervy.....LOL
Jenny - thanks for commenting. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! It's one of my fav books and since its so short I can go have a reread without a huge time commitment for a refresher.
If cheese wouldn't make me an even bigger bitch by way of constipation, I'd eat it all day long. If I wasn't afraid, I'd prob leave my husband. There's plenty of love, but hardly any cheese. You asked.
ReplyDeletePlease read my reply to your comment on my blog. I was going to text you this morning when I realized it was probably about 7 AM where you are. Oops!