New Cheese

Anyone familiar with the book Who Moved my Cheese by Spencer Johnson will understand my title. Basically the concept of book observes four different characters and their individual reactions to change. New cheese is a respresentation of change and new opportunities.

For me change stands for "Could Have Another Nice Gut-wrenching Experience." So it will not surprise anyone that my life has taken a huge change within the past month. I have moved from rocky mountains to wind-whistling plains; with the BIG move I have changed jobs, cultures, and universities.

With a new place most things in life tend to become transparent, like the cheese. Although core values remain constant within, external perceptions change with different environments. At the local IFA Country Store I was known as the upbeat, agriculture communication major with a stubborn connection with symmetry and color balance with shelf display. At church, I was known as "Tamra with a Camera" the person that took all the pictures; to others I was known as their best friend.

So point blank truthful thought: the hardest part of my "Could Have Another Nice Gut-wrenching Experience" is not the wonderful aspect of discovering more talents and enjoying awesome classes, its the journey through a new identity which comes with the discovery of new relationships.

Yes, Yes, I know you're all thinking, but you LOVE people and you are so good a meeting them; still, new relationships take time to build. I am enthusiastic about the small foundations I have built this week; I have great hopes they will yield a bountiful harvest of love and memories.

But for now, I just have to slowly color in the lines to make my new cheese bright.