What Would Grandpa Benny Do?

By Brandi Nowak

“He Would’ve Moved the Dang Cheese Himself”

There’s a book called Who Moved My Cheese?—and if you haven’t read it, I’ll sum it up in one sentence: the cheese is always moving, so you better lace up your sneakers and go find it.

In the story, there are these little mice and people in a maze. Some of them sit around complaining that their cheese disappeared. Some sniff out new cheese. Some scurry ahead. And some—well,some just sit there in denial, waiting for the old cheese to magically come back.

Now I don’t know about you, but if Grandpaw had walked into that maze and found an empty plate, he wouldn’t have cried about it. He would’ve built a whole new cheese shop, hired a delivery guy, and told everyone else to quit whining.

Because Grandpaw didn’t get stuck in what used to be. He paid attention, adapted, and kept moving—whether that meant finding new suppliers, or knocking new customers doors until someone said yes.

And that’s a lesson for all of us. Whether it’s new technology, new people, or new challenges—we can’t stay frozen in “the way we’ve always done it.” The cheese has moved. It will move again. Our job? Move with it. Heck, maybe even get ahead of it.

So next time change shows up uninvited (as it always does), ask yourself:
Am I sniffing it out, scurrying ahead, or sitting there sulking in an empty corner of the maze?

Grandpaw would’ve packed a snack, fixed his socks, and gone looking for more.
Let’s do the same.

—Brandi