Fran Peck

I just read a great little. It is a simple read and one I think is very pertinent to living and dealing with Parkinson’s! The book is “Who Moved My Cheese.”

For those who are not familiar with the book, it is a story about 2 mice and 2 “little-people” in a maze searching for cheese. Cheese is a metaphor for what we want to have in life. Each of us has our own idea what “cheese” means to us and we pursue “cheese” because we believe it will make us happy. The four characters search through the maze until they find cheese. Then we see the change in the characters. The mice, being simple and not very complex, get up early every morning and go to the cheese and eat. The little-people become comfortable and dependent upon the cheese. They set up the houses near the cheese, they get up later, and they take their friends to see “their” cheese, etc.

Then one day the cheese is gone! The two mice weren’t surprised because they noticed the supply of cheese was dwindling. They took off in search of more cheese. The two little-people arrived to find the cheese gone and immediately started blaming. They were unable to accept the change, instead trying to evaluate how to solve the problem in any way other than setting off in search of more cheese. Finally, one of them decides that the cheese isn’t coming back, so sets off to find more cheese. The other one, however, is unable to change and waits there despite the rational arguments the other gives for leaving the status quo.

The rest of the story is how the one who set off in search of more cheese comes to several realizations before he actually finds new cheese. First, change happens – they keep moving the cheese! Second, anticipate the change and be ready to move with the cheese. Monitor the cheese so you know when the cheese might move. Adapt to the change – the quicker you let go of old cheese, the faster you can enjoy new cheese. Change – move with the cheese. Enjoy change – savor the adventure and taste of new cheese. And finally, be ready to quickly change again – they keep moving the cheese.

This book got me to thinking. Are we so adamant in our pursuit of the “cheese” (to be symptom free or whatever) that we fail to consider the long term? Are we afraid of change, that is, to move with the new cheese? Are we holding onto old cheese, so we are unable to savor new cheese?

If ever there was a “change agent”, it is Parkinson’s! It is constantly “moving my cheese”! How about yours?! I highly recommend the book.