Kay:

Hey there Questers and welcome back. It’s Tuesday, June 15th and this is episode 377. We have such a fun and funny quote for you today. We were laughing so hard reading it right before this recording. We can’t wait to share it with you.

Shi:

It is, “Age is of no importance unless you’re a cheese. Of course, this was said by Billie Burke formerly known as Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke, better known as Billie Burke and she was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio and in silent and early sound film. So, a real pioneer in the entertainment industry, Billie Burke, gave us this gem of a quote right here.

Kay:

Well, what I love about her saying this is that she is trying to underline the fact that there aren’t really any limitations set by age other than the limitation that you give it in your mind and in your heart. Whatever importance is placed upon age is really placed there by you. You’re the decider of that. I think we see this played out in so many ways by seeing older people who are very youthful, and then seeing youthful people (Greta Thunberg is coming to mind), a 16-year-old out there fighting for the climate, and you would think that she’s 55, the way that she articulates and has her things together. So, this idea that it’s really only important for cheese, I think is helping to show how unimportant it is to being a human.

Shi:

What happens with cheese the older it gets? It gets really gross. I mean, obviously, cheese has to first get older in order for it to become cheese but if you let a cheese sit down and rot it becomes disgusting. Many of us think that we are the same way. Think about how much mental real estate you assign to thinking about your age and how far along you are and how you compare to your peers. And how you thought about what it would be like to live at the age you’re experiencing now when you were younger. What did you think that age was going to be like? My brother-in-law recently turned 51 and we were celebrating, and he was saying I don’t feel like I’m 51. I just don’t feel like I’m 51 and it really got me kind of chewing on this idea of , “well, who decided what 51 felt like and who decided that was old?” Well, you might’ve decided that when you were five years old and you went to a grandpa’s birthday and he was turning 51 and so in your head, you went well, 51 equals old, but this is really just a subjective label that you’ve assigned to it. So, it’s really interesting. If you say well, I don’t feel like I’m the age that I am, or maybe you’re like both Kay and I who have struggled, especially for me in the younger years of feeling like you’re too youthful for where you are and where you want to be. Really understanding where do those preconceived notions come from and how are you letting them hold you back?

Kay:

Well, if a Parmesan hasn’t sat in its barrel or in its cage for more than six months, it is not considered aged. It cannot come out and it is not even considered a Parmesan cheese. You don’t get to eat the Parmesan unless it’s been aged for at least six months. There’s all this limitation that gets put onto that cheese and there’s so much of this that we do to ourselves when we are younger. I can think of many instances, Shila and I know you felt this way, because I was there too with that youthful feeling and like you just expressed feeling like you were in these grownups’ situations, for lack of a better term, but feeling like you had too young of a number. The only person saying that you’re too young is you or the only person who’s saying that you’re too old is you. So, where is that? Who’s the cheese judge saying that they can be a Parmesan and that they’re ready now to go in the world and be a Parmesan. There is no cheese judge of life, it’s you. If you want to be a fully grown Parmesan, do it right now and if you feel like you’re sitting out on the counter starting to mold, get your butt back in the fridge, you get to decide.

Shi:

Empowering Parmesan since 2021.

Kay:

That’s right. Episode title.

Shi:

You’re getting cheese empowerment and though it is a little bit cheesy to talk about it in this way. What’s not cheesy, of course, is this concept that age is of no importance and really thinking into how much we let age often dictate what we do or don’t say, or how we do or don’t show up or what we do or don’t wear or what we do or don’t decide to do with our lives or take the class or go to the party because we might be trying to fit into what we imagine our age group should be doing. That can be tricky for us and steer us away from our dreams and from our passions and from our purpose and ultimately leave us feeling that emptiness inside and we shouldn’t. Then maybe you fill that emptiness with extra cheese and that’s not healthy for anybody.

Kay:

Well, like Billie Burke tells us, “Age is truly of no importance unless you are indeed a cheese.”

Shi:

Alright, that brings us to your Ageless Quest today. We want you to think about what you wish you could have told your 20 years younger self with the wisdom you now have then fast forward to envision yourself 20 years from now thinking the same thing. What can you remember right now in order to empower an ageless adventure in the 20 years to come? Are you ready? Say it with us now..

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!