Lyle (1:40)

Hello. What's up? Happy New Year. Thank you again for tuning in to the Therapy Gecko podcast. This is a special edition of Geck Mail. So Geck Mail is a version of this show that I do where I don't take phone calls. I just read viewer emails. But last night I came up with a. With a. With a crazy idea. Came up with a crazy idea. What if. What if I Somehow combined the two topics to create Geck Mail 2.0 wherein I would read emails and then whenever I feel like it, take a phone call and get one of the. Get a caller's perspective on the email. It's a Genius idea. I'm excited to try it out today. And so if you're watching this live on Twitch as I'm recording it, please, you know, feel free to call in between emails, and I may very well take your call. I hope everyone's having a good new year. Before we get into the emails, I want to talk about something exciting going on in my life. This is cool. So tomorrow at 9am I am going to Japan. I am going to Japan, and I'm gonna do a really interesting thing there. I don't know if you all recall an episode of this podcast I put out. I don't even know how long ago it was. Maybe it was a few weeks or months or whatever. And it's called I Walked Across Japan. And in it I told the story of how. So last time I was in Japan, it was about two years ago, I was in. I was like, IRL streaming. So I had this IRL stream backpack, and I was walking around as the Gecko live streaming and talking to people, and somebody in my Twitch chat was like, hey, man, I actually live in Japan and I know where you are. Stay right there. I'm gonna stream, snipe you. I'll come say what's up. And everyone in my chat was like, nah, nah, that's. That's not true. This guy's just with you. You're waiting around for nothing. And I was like, no, no, no, this guy's gonna show up. I'm gonna just wait here for like 10 minutes, and then this guy from my Twitch chat is gonna show up, and I wait about 10 minutes, and everyone in the. Everyone in the chat is like, lyle, you're being trolled. Okay? This guy's not gonna show up. A guy shows up, he's Sensei Martian in the chat. Guy shows up. I'm like, are you Sensei Martian? He's like, yes, I am. And me and this guy that I just met from my Twitch chat, we walked around and talked and hung out for a couple hours, and it was great. And he kind of showed me around Tokyo a little bit. And then after the stream ended, we kind of started chatting a little bit about, like, content creation. Creation and life and stuff. And then about like, three. I don't. I don't know. However. However many months ago, I get a call from Sensei Martian on the podcast. You can listen to this phone call. The episode is called I Walked across all of Japan, I think. So if you go to Spotify and you just search under Therapy Gecko, I walked across all of Japan, you can listen to this. And I get a call from him and he tells me, hey man, our conversation, I, I felt really good about it and it inspired me to walk all across Japan over six months and record it. And now I am going to go to Japan and I'm gonna meet up with Sensei Martian and we're gonna go on a long ass walk. I don't know, we don't know where yet. He's putting together a few ideas for roots and stuff and it's probably, I don't think I'm gonna walk across all of Japan, but I want to go on a real walk. I've been talking a bunch of shit about getting into fitness and how this is, you know, I really, really want to pay more attention to my health and not be a piece of shit this year. So I told him I was like, I want to go like a 70 mile walk, something crazy like that. And he's like, I got you. So I'm gonna meet up with this with, with, with Sensei Martian once again after two years and we're gonna, we're gonna walk some crazy walk. We don't know what yet, but I think we're gonna stream a little bit of it. So if you don't follow me on Twitch already, you can follow me on Twitch at Twitch tv. Lyle forever. And in the coming weeks you may see me go live with Sensei Martin walking across some part of rural Japan. So I'm excited for that. That's what I'm doing tomorrow. But what I am doing today is taking is reading emails. Not taking calls is reading emails. So I am going to start reading some emails. Alright, let's see here. Okay, let's start with Facebook wants me sad. Okay, this is from Brackley subject line. Facebook wants me sad. Hi, my name is Rafael Raphael. I'm gonna say Raphael. Love the geck mail thingy and the show, blah blah. Let's get to the story. I had a really, and I mean really good friend during high school. I considered her my soulmate. And it was like that for all three years after the graduation ceremony when everybody was congratulating each other and saying goodbye, she was crying because it is the last time we would see each other, she said. I didn't think much of it. I thought our friendship was stronger than that. But I hate that she was right. There were a few meetups and the daily chats became infrequent. Five years later, Facebook sent me a notification of unread messages with her profile picture. I was so happy to think that maybe she reached out. But it was just a glitch and I had no new messages. Since then. Every time I open the FB messenger app, she appears in my hot bar for a split second and then is replaced by someone that should be there. Her name is Carolina. And if she is listening, tell her I say hi. Because of Facebook. I miss her every day, Brett, but okay, hold on. I hate this. Fuck it. What do you mean? Tell her I said, what do you mean? If she's listening, tell her you say hi. You fucking have her on Facebook. Tell her you say hi. Tell her you say hi yourself, my friend. Good God. What are you doing? What do you mean? Tell her you. I, what do you mean? If she. This is, I gotta tell you, Raphael, if, if this is your attempt to reach out to this girl, it is the worst one you could have picked. Why don't you just message her? Here's the thing. Let me tell you something. I, I, I feel for you. You, you think that you, you, you know, you got faked out, that maybe this girl reached out to you. And that hurt. But why the f. Dude, if you want to talk, I don't understand the conflict in here. Because if you want to talk to her, why don't you just reach out? I don't understand this. Why? Why? Okay, hold on. Then it says, P.S. i am the truck driver from Poland you met at the Manchester show. It was awesome. Oh, thanks, man. Yeah, dude, why don't you. Why? I'm so confused. Why don't you just reach out to her and, and say hi? This is the worst way to communicate with this person. Go. Her name is Carolina. You clearly like this girl. Why don't you just, why don't you just message her on Facebook? That's what Facebook is for. It's for messaging people. This felt, I felt a little cold in my response to this email. But also I just, I'm like, if you miss her, why don't you just be like, hey, what's up? It's been five years. Facebook told me maybe you reached out, but it. Don't even say that. Just be like, hey, how you doing? It's not like she blocked you. Alright, let's keep going. This is from Elias. Subject line. I want to buy a bird. Hey, Geck, I've been wanting to buy a bird. Something like a little budgie. My girlfriend seems open to the idea, but not completely on board. I had a bird before. A cute little blue budgie. Hold on. Before I go for any further. I'M gonna Google what a budgie is, because I don't. Oh, okay. Yeah, these are cute. I like these. Unfortunately, it died from overeating kosher salt that was left on the countertop. I don't have anything more deep or philosophical to talk about, but I would like to convince my girlfriend to get this bird. So that's about it. I'm curious why your girlfriend doesn't want the bird. Is it because you kind of killed one of the birds already? I feel like. I feel like in life you get. I don't know. This is an interesting conundrum. How many passes do you get to kill a bird? I think if you have a pet bird and you kill it, maybe you get to try one more time. If you have a pet bird and it dies because you left salts out, I. Maybe you get another bird. I'm. I'm not a big fan of pet birds. I think it's kind of sad, right? Like. Like if you're, like, a domesticated. Like, if you're a dog, right? You're gonna have your best life in domestication, hands down. You're gonna have your best life in domestication because, you know, you get food and you get walked and all this stuff, but a bird, I feel like you have your best life in the wild because you can, like, fly and do shit, you know? Somebody the chat said birds are super easy to kill, unfortunately. Salt, ceiling fans, etc. Yeah, I don't know, man. I would say. I would say. I'm. I would love to talk to your girlfriend about why she thinks you shouldn't get a bird. Why don't you get, like, a hamster, something? Why don't you. I think you should. I think you kind of botched it with the bird the first time around. Why don't you try something else? Why don't you get, like, a chinchilla or like a lizard or something like that? Something like a. Like some. I want. You should get an animal that, you know, it's better off with you than wherever the fuck else it would be. And I would say no bird. Maybe not no bird, but I feel like whatever bird that you would have in captivity is worse off than if it was just in the wild. But I wouldn't say that about a gecko or, like, if you want to get a frog. Something like that. Something like that. Okay. All right. I'm feeling good about this geck mail today. I'm feeling good about this geck mail today. Okay. This is from Victor. One of your callers. Changed my life. Yo, Geck, fun story for you. I met a girl on Facebook dating in June. I quit my job just to see her for five days. And they were the greatest days of my life. At that point, I wanted to move to where she lived and I was pretty hell bent on doing it. I took a shitty job at Olive Garden and I put myself through a lot of physical and mental trauma for a month until my body couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't very supportive of me losing that job, telling me she told me so and all that, and then proceeded to cheat on me with two dudes in one night. I forgave her and still visited her for her birthday, on which she got insanely drunk and tried hurting herself, which I was lucky enough to stop. She actually called into the show while I was there. Idk if you remember the girl who cleans toilets for Kohler, but that's her. She's a pretty cool gal. I think. I kind of remember her. I loved her to death, but she broke up with me a week or so after her birthday and told me she didn't want the relationship after July. With that, I did a lot of soul searching and realized I wasn't the person I thought I was. So I'm starting my transition to be a woman. If this gets read on air and she hears it, I forgive her for everything. Because it took me losing her to find myself. Sometimes that's what it takes. And I wouldn't change a thing about my past. Thanks for letting me share this, Geck. Much love, Vivian. Wow. Interesting, huh? Interesting. Interesting. Yeah. I wonder. I don't. Yeah, that's cool. I like that. I think that's cool. I like this story because this is a story of like, you know, something bad happens to you and it helps you kind of figure out who you actually are. Right? Like that's. I think when bad. I think. I think when bad things happen to you, it's actually good sometimes because it helps you figure out that maybe you're a woman or maybe you something else about you, you know? Are you still friends with this lady? It seems it took me losing her to find myself. I like that. I like that. Yeah, Olive Garden sucks. I don't have any more commentary on this. I'm gonna read another email. Hello, sir. Okay, this. Okay, subject. This is from CL Frost. Subject line. Frost father issue. Hello, sir, ma'am. My name is Max Parentheses. Don't say my name. I am just kidding. I don't care. I just said that to piss you off. Okay? I am having some Troubles with my dad as of recently, I am currently a second year at a university and studying mechanical engineering. My dad had asked me for my grades and mind you, I was taking some really hard classes. I'm taking calculus, physics and a history class that I don't really care about. All of my classes I have A's except for calc. Anyway, he asked for my grades and I showed him my grades and immediately went for the C. And he asked me why I have a C and I told him it is the class that I'm struggling with and told him what I was gonna do to bring it up. What I didn't like is that he completely dismissed the A's that I have. And I legit was so pissed off because I have been working my ass off in these classes and it honestly is a lot. I want him to be proud of me because there has never been a moment in my life where he told me that he is genuinely proud of me. By the way, this is a Mexican dad, so you can use those racial stereotypes because they are real. Okay, I get the comparison where let's say one kid is sick and one isn't. Who are you gonna look at more? Whoever is sick or isn't. I don't know what that was. The point being, how do I approach this? Because it honestly makes me upset and I know I should be proud of myself for everything I have accomplished. I just want some sort of validation, I guess. Anyway, I hope you have a good rest of your night. Yeah. Max, listen, I, I'm genuinely, I'm really sorry that your dad, you're feeling like you have issues with your dad where he's like not proud of you, but you said a lot of stuff in this email that I liked, right? You were like, um, I know I should be proud of myself for everything I have accomplished. Let me tell you something, Max. Let me speak some fucking. Let me, let me, let me speak some, some motivational jizz in your ear, alright? You don't need anyone's permission to be proud of yourself, my friend. You don't need anyone's permission to be proud of yourself. If you're proud of yourself, be proud of yourself. You don't need anyone's permission to fucking feel any kind of way about yourself. You get to the, you, you, I, you seem like, here's the thing, you're a second year at university. So like you're just now coming into like the universe of being an adult and people shit on being an adult. But I think it's way, way Better than being in fucking high school. Because when you're in elementary school, middle school, high school, your whole fucking life is about asking for permission. You're asking for permission from your, your teachers to give you good grades and you're asking for permission from your parents to do things and you're asking for permission from everyone for everything. And you finally as an adult, like you just get to fucking. The one thing you never have to ask permission for is like how you want to feel about yourself, you know? And deep into your adult life you're gonna find yourself trying to ask for permission from people around you and from society and from your job about like feeling good about yourself or feeling that you are a certain kind of way, like needing validation on that. And you never have to do that ever. You only validate like, you know, look, check in, check in with the people around you. Check in with society to kind of make sure you're not a total anti social, insane person. I think that's good. I think that's grounds you in reality. You don't want to think you're like the hot shit, amazing everything and have no external evidence to, you know, tell you everything otherwise. But you don't, you know, you don't need your dad to validate you. You could look you, you know, you know that you worked hard on the classes. So just, just be proud of yourself. Max, don't. You don't need your dad to be proud of you. You can just be proud of yourself. Okay, this is, this is from Hot Dog. Subject line Name change surgery. Hello Lyle. Please call me Hot Dog. If you read this email on the podcast, me and my girlfriend have been talking about getting engaged in 2025 and married probably in 2026 and have been thinking about the whole last name thing. I have my father's last name, but my parents split up when I was a baby and my mom and my maternal grandparents raised me. Me and my dad reconnected in my childhood and are on good terms but not close. I see him maybe once per year. My girlfriend had the idea of us both taking my maternal grandparents last name when we get married instead of her taking my last name and have it be a surprise for my grandparents at the wedding. I love this idea and think it would be a great way to show my appreciation for them and everything they've done. I would also like to invite my father to the wedding, but I feel like no matter what, this will hurt his feelings and maybe impact our relationship. Even though he has to know realistically that he did not play a large role in my life. We are both in our late 20s. Love the show. Been watching for a couple years. You bring great perspective. Thanks. Hot dog. Okay, so this is your. You think your dad is gonna be upset that you took your mom's name instead of his? Let me reread this. Is this really gonna okay, Both my mom and my mother. Me and my dad reconnected my childhood. We're on good terms and not close. I see him maybe once per year. Oh, so you know, bro, whatever. Look, here's the thing. You're in your late 20s. If this is what you want to do again, I mean, you don't need permission from your dad to like, this is, I guess, like a people pleasing thing. Like, you don't want to hurt your dad's feelings, but, like, whatever, man. If this is what you want to do, then do it right. I feel like it's pretty simple. Like, I get that you don't want to impact your dad's relationship, but here's the thing. If you sit down with your dad and you're like, okay, yeah, this is what I'm doing, and he gets like, fucking pissed and offended, then, you know, that's. That's his problem, to be honest. That's a him letting this impact your relationship because, you know, he's got to take the L on this one. He's got to be like, ah, you know, you're right, I kind of up, but I abandoned you for a little bit. And we're back. But we're not that close. I get it, I get it, I get it. And then you. And then if he does that, if you tell him this and he's like, ah, yeah, you're right, I get it, I get it. Then you guys can have it. Then if he does that, then you guys can have a beautiful relationship because he's like, you know, accepts his place in your life. And then he can build on top of that and become even closer with you. But that's on him to accept, not really on you to, like, care about whether or not this hurts his feelings. I'm gonna take a phone call. I kind of want to take a quick phone call on this. If you're in the Twitch chat right now and you have thoughts about any of the emails that have been read thus far, give me a call from Noah. Hello?

Noah (23:14)

Hello?

Lyle (23:15)

Yo, Noah, what's up?

Noah (23:18)

What's going on?

Lyle (23:19)

Yo, Noah. Noah, can you hear.

Noah (23:21)

Yeah, sorry, I just took you off speaker.

Lyle (23:24)

Okay, Noah, what's up? What? What do you. What do you think about these emails? What do you got, bro?

Noah (23:30)

I'm gonna be real with you. I just tuned into the stream. I've been playing.

Lyle (23:33)

All right, all right, we're gonna take another call from. Hey, what's up? Can you hear me? Are you there?

Tara (23:44)

I, I, I, I'm here.

Lyle (23:46)

Well, what you got for me? You have thoughts on any of these emails?

Tara (23:50)

All right, all right, Mr. Lyle, Mr. Lyle, I've more, more than thoughts for these, for these emails. All right, now, on the, on the one, on the one that we just listened to, that was about like the dad taking the L on that, man. Look, look, I agree, I agree. 100. Like, he's gotta, he's gotta that up, you know what I'm saying? He's gotta be like, hey, man, look, I, I ban you all the piece of. But you know what I'm saying, We here now. You know what I mean? But no, not, not much can go from there, you know what I mean?

Lyle (24:18)

Holy. I'm sorry.

Tara (24:18)

I'm just really, I'm like shaking right now.

Lyle (24:20)

Wait a minute. Okay, so you said you've been there before like this. Like, do you have a kid?

Tara (24:25)

No, no, no, I don't have a kid. I'm 20.

Lyle (24:28)

Oh, okay. Like, is this something that's happened with your dad?

Tara (24:33)

No, no, I'm just, this is just like outside Looking in, Mr. Lyle.

Lyle (24:36)

Oh, sure, sure, sure, sure. Yeah, no, I agree, I agree. I think he's just gonna kind of take the L on it.

Tara (24:44)

Yeah, no, I'm, I'm sorry. Like, I've lost all my thoughts ever since I, I, you answered the phone. I've been trying to get in here for, for a while.

Lyle (24:53)

Mr. Lyle, do you have any other thoughts on the emails?

Tara (24:57)

I, I thought, I thought on the, on the. Oh, oh, my God. Oh, yeah, on the one, on the one where the guy was talking about, oh, I, I had to lose my girlfriend to who's my girlfriend? To find who I am, and, and now I'm trans. I mean, like, I get that. I, I get that.

Lyle (25:14)

Oh, God, where does this go? Where's this going?

Tara (25:18)

But like, but like, but like, why, why didn't he, like, lock in and say, like, he had to turn into a girl? Like, you know, he switched sides, you know, like, after he, like, where did that come from?

Lyle (25:31)

What are you talking about?

Tara (25:33)

Yeah, because, because he was just like, he was like, oh, I lost, I lost my girlfriend, and my girlfriend helped me, like, find myself. And then he, like, switched sides. He said he was transitioning. Did he Not.

Lyle (25:46)

Yeah. Wait, what do you, what do you not get about that?

Tara (25:49)

I mean, like, like I'm just like, where did that come from? I mean, like, I can accept this.

Lyle (25:54)

But like, I don't. I think I. Well, I think they're just. I don't. Okay, okay, okay. If you're, if you're asking, how is this person transitioning related to their relationship that they had with. With their ex girlfriend, I actually kind of don't know, but that's what they're telling me. Maybe something about, I don't know, maybe. I don't know, it's. I guess it's just part of like the journey of how they discovered it.

Tara (26:31)

I don't. That, like that, that, that really threw me for a loop. That really. That, that threw me. That threw me like all the way to the left. I, I didn't know. I didn't know where that came from. Like, I, I don't know what kind of heartbreak you got to go through. You know what I'm saying? I don't know what kind of depression he went through or she. Now, I. It. That just. That was just kind of crazy, Mr. Lyle.

Lyle (26:51)

I don't know. I guess, I guess they, they just like. Yeah, I don't know. I guess it was just part of the, part of the job. Let me, I don't know where, Let me reread that email. Where is it at?

Tara (27:03)

Yeah, that was crazy.

Lyle (27:07)

I did a lot. Yeah, no, they did. I. This, this person did not particularly go into detail as to how they were related, but I think, I think that. I think the idea is that this relationship, they say I did a lot of soul searching and realized it wasn't the person I thought I was. And so I think this, I think it was just like something where, like a major life event or a. Or like the ending of a relationship causes one to do soul searching and then they come up with conclusions as a result of their soul searching.

Tara (27:40)

I would say the soul searching part. I don't know. That must have been. That must have been a crazy journey. That is insane. That, that's crazy.

Lyle (27:52)

All right, what's your name?

Tara (27:54)

Oh. Oh my God. My name is Double F, Jeff. Can you say that for me?

Lyle (27:59)

Double love. Jess, is there anything else you want to say to the people?

Tara (28:03)

Come on, you gotta say double F, Jess.

Lyle (28:04)

Alright, alright, I'm done with this person. Okay, I'll take another. All right, I'll take another call. Actually, no, let me read. Let me read another email first and then I'll take another call looking for excitement. Chumba Casino is here. Play anytime. Play anywhere. Play on the train. Play at the store.

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Joel (28:45)

2025 is bound to be a fascinating year. It's going to be filled with money, challenges and opportunities. I'm Joel oh, and I am Matt and we're the hosts of how to Money. We want to be with you every step of the way in your financial journey this year, offering the information and insights you need to thrive financially. Yeah, whether you find yourself up to your eyeballs in student loan debt or you've got a sky high credit card balance because you went a little overboard with the holiday spending, or maybe you're looking to optimize your retirement accounts so you can retire early. Well, how to Money will help you to change your relationship with money so you can stress less and grow your net worth. That's right. How to Money comes out three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For money advice without the judgment and jargon, listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Inside you, two wolves are locked in battle. One thrives on fear and anger and doubt. The other, courage, wisdom and love. Every decision, every moment feeds one of them. Which wolf are you feeding? I'm Eric Zimmer, host of the One youe Feed. I've been there. Homeless, addicted and lost. I know the power of small choices to turn your life around. On this podcast, I sit down with thinkers, leaders and survivors to uncover what it takes to feed the good wolf.

Lyle (30:18)

This podcast saved me. It's like having a guide for the.

Joel (30:23)

Hardest parts of life. The wolves are hungry. What will you feed them? Listen to the one you feed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Lyle (30:36)

All right, this is from Stella Subject line. I got hit by a car on the way to your show. Plus purpose in life. Hi Lyle. I'm Stella and have been a huge fan for years. I was probably the first person to buy your 2024 San Francisco tickets because I was so excited on the Day of I was riding my motorcycle to the venue and got hit by a hit and run driver six blocks from the venue. My left shoulder took months to heal, but luckily it's 99% healed now. I also got some long term minor nerve damage on my left leg, but nothing that interferes with my life. So anyways, I was never able to see you live and I'm super excited for the next opportunity. Man, that's, I don't know, man. Riding a motorcycle. I sound like a grandpa, but yeah, riding a motorcycle is crazy. I recently turned 25 and I'm now very well settled into adult life. However, sometimes I wonder whether or not I am too hedonistic and what my purpose in life should be. I am an only child, don't talk to my parents, don't know my extended family and immigrated to the US from New Zealand in 2017. I'm happy with my current job, but I don't think my job brings significant purpose or meaning. I don't want to have children. I spend most of my time on hedonistic activities such as spending time with friends. Hold on. Okay, Stella, I don't think you understand. I don't think you know what the word hedonism means. I don't know if I would put, I mean, what, I don't know. If you're doing cocaine with your friends and you know, everyone's blowing each other, then yeah, sure, that's hedonistic. But I don't think that purely spending time with your friends is hedonistic. Okay. Spending time with my friends traveling and investing in hobbies. I don't think, you know what he. I don't like Stella. I, I, I feel bad for Stella because she, I think the person who wrote this email lives in a world where anything that is not working is considered hedonism. I think, I think, yeah, hedonism is like, Hedonism is like gluttonous excess and like drugs and Taco Bell and porn. You know, I mean, spending time with friends, playing Jenga and traveling and, you know, sewing or whatever. I don't know if that's hedonism. I know this sounds great on the surface, but sometimes I feel like my life is meaningless because I will never raise kids or build a family. And I'm not sure if there is a career where I can derive purpose and meaning from. What do you think about hedonistic lifestyles and deriving meaning from them, especially for people with essentially no family? Thanks for the podcast and for being an awesome person. Each new episode brings a Smile to my face. Thank you, Stella. Listening to this podcast is maybe a little hedonistic, but other than that, I, you know what? I'm. I'm gonna assume that you don't think. I'm gonna assume you just don't know what hedonism means. And maybe you're using it to mean something else. Just like, what do I think about? I mean, you're only 25. Let's see, I'm an only child. I don't talk to my parents. I do not want to have children. I feel like my life is meaningless because I will never raise kids or build a family. And I'm not sure if there's a career I can derive purpose and meaning from. Well, here's the thing, dude, is you can decide. Well, look, you, first of all is you don't really know if you're ever gonna raise kids or build a family because your opinions on these things could easily change if you meet the right person or if your perspective changes as a result of something over the years. I mean, you could decide 5, 6, 10 years from now that you know you do want to raise a family, you do want to do this other thing, and so there's that. So I don't know, I'm a big, I'm a big never say never guy on that one. But also, when it comes to, like, meaning in life, it's like, bro, there's no, there's no real rules. I mean, don't die, don't do anything illegal. Don't die, don't kill anyone. Don't, don't do anything fucked up. Other than that, there's really no rules. So you can decide what brings you meaning. You know, if you like motorcycling and you like how you feel when you know your hair is blowing through the wind and you get hit by a car, then that can be your thing. You know, if you like hanging out with your friends and that gives you meaning, you like traveling and that gives you meaning, you get to decide. That's the thing is like, again, again is kind of similar to the, the guy with his dad. It's like nobody gives you permission to fucking do anything. You get to decide what is meaningful so you don't have to ask for permission from other people on what's meaningful. But also, I wouldn't, I wouldn't self impose any rules upon you, and I wouldn't self impose any ideas that, like, you'll never derive purpose from a family or a career and that there's nothing like, I like, like, you're getting into a little like, doomer territory, I think in terms of like deciding that there's nothing out there that will give you purpose. Maybe that's not what you're saying. Maybe I'm. Maybe I'm. I'm. But also these things that you. The word hedonistic. I'm like the hanging out with your friends and traveling and investing in hobbies and flying airplanes, as you say, are all great things to derive meaning from. And if you're feeling guilty because the things that give you meaning are not necessarily the things that you see out in society are what giving give other people meaning, just remember that there's no fucking rules and you don't have to kind of subscribe to anyone else's idea of what's meaningful or not. I'm sorry you got hit by a car on the way to my show. All right, there's a caller. Let's take a call.

India (37:01)

From Carol.

Lyle (37:05)

Hello?

India (37:07)

Hello.

Lyle (37:08)

Hey, Carol, what do you think of these emails?

India (37:11)

Well, for the person talking about the hedonistic lifestyle, even though what they're saying it's again, not hedonistic or anything like that, if you wanted to put some kind of purpose in your life, why wouldn't you want to create spaces where people can enjoy themselves? Like even just as, you know, simply like, oh, making a place for people to play board games or a night for people to do trivia or a place that people to do weird dances in the middle of a room. You know what I mean?

Lyle (37:43)

Yeah, I love that. I love that. I love that. That's a great way to find meaning. Cuz. Yeah, I mean this person, clearly they. Because I think this person, like they're talking about not wanting to raise kids or build a family, but they're like trying to, I think, still feel like connected to other people in a deep, meaningful way. And so yeah, I think with the stuff you're talking about, like trying to create a community that they can feel connected with. Not necessarily like kids or a family, but just like a community space. I think that's a great idea.

India (38:16)

Yeah, it feels redundant almost because it's kind of the message that you kind of send out a lot in a lot of your streams that I've listened to, but, you know, not an original concept at all. If you're searching for meaning and you have people around you, you should look at the other people around you and find meaning in them and the space and the thing, the memories you make with them.

Lyle (38:40)

Love it. What's your name again?

India (38:43)

Tara.

Lyle (38:44)

Tara. Any of the other emails you have any comments on I didn't hear earlier.

India (38:50)

So I don't have any much to say about.

Lyle (38:52)

Thank you, Tara.

India (38:54)

Thanks.

Lyle (38:58)

All right, let's see here. All right, this is from Ellie. Subject line, trying to transform my life in 2025. Hey, Geck, I'm Ellie from the UK. I just want to say thank you for your podcast. They've really helped my perspective and also have gotten me through tons of long car journeys. I think transform is a bit of an exaggeration, but in 2025, I'm hoping to change a few things. Stop drinking alcohol so often, completely quit nicotine. Get my own place in a cozy cottage slash apartment, and possibly even find a relationship. I'm a really chill person, so I just want to find another chill person who's gentle and kind hearted. It's been difficult in 2024, but also very transformative. So that's a positive. So please wish me luck and any advice would be great. I don't know if I have any advice for you. I'm trying to change. I'm trying to transform my life in 2025 as well. Uh, let's see here. Stop drinking alcohol so often. Quit nicotine. Any advice? Don't pick, I don't know, pick up something like running. Pick up a better hobby. I suppose that's a shitty advice. I'm gonna. Okay, I'm gonna skip the advent. I'm gonna skip the advice, but I'm gonna wish you luck, Ellie. I'm gonna wish you luck. I don't, I don't. You know what is funny? You know what sucks for me about doing this podcast a lot of times is I don't. I, I, I really, really, really, really, really. I, I can, I less and less and less feel as though I can offer advice as much as I can offer commiseration. You know what I mean? You guys know what I mean? Like, I don't know. If I knew what to do, I wouldn't have, I don't think I would be who I was, who I am, you know, I only, I only feel like I can commiserate these days, not advise as much, but I can. I commiserate with you, Ellie. I wish you luck on your journey. All right. This is from Jesse. Hi, Lyle. I love your content and I hope you come to Florida soon. Anyways, I really, I recently left my cult parentheses sorority and I feel so free. I know calling it a cult seems extreme, but you will understand why. Here are some of the reasons why I left my sorority. I was Uncomfortable with the concept of rituals. These took place in a church and we would wear robes and stoles. In these rituals, we would have to hold hands while saying things from the ritual book in sync. We would also have to sing in a circle and bow. Racism was also a big factor. I am Latina and they constantly spit out microaggression aggressions and were openly racist. They went as far as to edit my skin in photos to look five shades darker to make me a diversity pick. They were also really strict on what we could wear during rush. Everything had to be name brand, head to toe and everything down to our socks had to be approved. If the girl didn't like how something fit you, you would have to buy a new outfit. I understand a dress code, but I have seen girls spend thousands of dollars on attire for a rush and that is insane. Without much detail. These girls are straight up bullies. They turned a guy from my school into an LOL cow. They would pretend to be friends, romantically interested in him just to make fun of him in the group chat. The whole school played along. I constantly told them this was not right and they ignored me. He ended up crashing out and was expelled and taken to a mental hospital. After his release, he was arrested on campus for having a weapon. Fucking Jesus Christ. Ugh. My final straw was that after my dog died, I was mourning and I was not talking or moving for a while. The day my family had to pick up his ashes, I was not able to go because my sorority threatened to fine me if I took the day off. We had a four hour long rush meeting and I was forced to sit there and try not to cry the whole time. They were incredibly inconsiderate of what I was going through and I did not want to be around them anymore. And so I left. I really wish I left months ago, but college is actually pretty lonely so I stuck it out until I couldn't anymore. Thanks for reading and Happy New Year. Good. Good for you. Good for you, Jesse. Good for you. Yeah, I fucking. Look, here's the thing. Here's the thing. So I actually remember when I was freshman in college, I rushed a fraternity and it was okay, but I just feel like there's some people out there who like Greek life and fraternities and sororities is like super super for them. Like they like that shit. It, it, you know, it gives them like automatic community and you know they're really into partying and getting fucked up and like the, the brotherhood of it and all that shit. And if it's for you, then. God bless you. But I think there's another group of people where, like. Like, people who, like, you know, going into college as a freshman is such a. Like, terrifying because you have nothing to grab onto, especially if you're going there alone and you don't know anyone. And it's. It's an attractive idea to go join Greek life and you automatically have all these friends, but, you know, maybe it's not necessarily for you, and you kind of have to, like, take a step back and figure out how you're going to make your community. I mean, so I. Yeah, so I rushed to this fraternity, but I just kind of didn't stick with it. And I never, like, really, like, signed up or paid the dues or whatever the fuck. And, you know, eventually I got into. I started writing on the lo. On the, like, college comedy show, and I met most of my friends doing that. And college for me didn't really get good until I started doing that. And so, I don't know, it just kind of takes a little while to, like, figure out what your community is, you know, And. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. It's just such. I don't like the rigidity of the Greek. I fucking hate rules, and I hate, like, you have to, like, be some guy's bitch. Like, it, like. Like, you have to be a pledge and you have to, like, go fetch cigarettes for a dude and, like, fuck a horse or whatever they make you do. And I don't know. I think. I don't think you should have to fuck a horse to make friends, but that's just me. Oh, we got a call coming in. Let's see. Okay, we had a call coming in, and then it got fucked up. Okay, hold on. All right, all right. Maybe we get another call coming in. Let's see. Okay, here we go.

Noah (46:18)

Noah.

Lyle (46:22)

Hello.

Noah (46:25)

Hello.

Lyle (46:26)

Hey, what's up?

Noah (46:27)

Hello. Hey. Nothing much. Just chilling, hanging out.

Lyle (46:32)

How are you, Noah? What? Do you got any thoughts about these emails?

Tara (46:35)

Yes.

Noah (46:36)

So I'm the fraternity one, so I. I have a personal connection with this because I was in a fraternity in college as well. It was a music fraternity, though. I was a music major. And so everyone who was in the fraternity was also a musician. So that was a really cool environment. And then, like, you know, the stuff we went through that you're talking about, like, the cliche, like, frat bro stuff. Like, I never experienced that. Heard stories from, like, back in the day, but in my experience, I never was treated poorly or forced to do things I didn't want to do. My big brother just really liked to go party, which was fine.

Lyle (47:17)

Well, was this like a co ed frat, or is this like a. Like an all boys frat?

Noah (47:22)

It was an all boys frat. We had, like, a sister fraternity or sorority where we would do events together. But one of the really cool things about this fraternity is because it's based around music. We have this whole song book, and we'd memorize these songs, and we'd go out into the community and do stuff. Actually ended up playing, like, a Blue Gray. No ska band because of it. That was really cool.

Lyle (47:46)

So they didn't, like, make you put a clarinet up your ass or any of that stuff?

Noah (47:50)

Oh, fuck no. Fuck no. I did have a brother, though, who got really fucked up on a truth or dare, ended up losing a beer, but that was his own choice.

Lyle (48:00)

So did you ever consider joining, like, a real, you know, not mean, like. Like one of the, you know, more traditional Greek life things?

Noah (48:10)

Yeah, I did. I got asked to come out to a rush a couple times. It just didn't really appeal to me in the same way, like, the music stuff did. It was, you know, music's just a closer knit thing. And the guys in the fraternity themselves were really active in the music community. So, like, they were the ones planning all the house shows in the city, getting the bands to come in, helping, you know, manage that. And so getting to be a part of that process was really unique and cool that I don't think I would have gotten without joining the opportunity.

Lyle (48:46)

Nice. Nice. Yeah. Well, I feel like those, like, specialized fraternity, like, a music one, or like, there's, like, a business fraternity, like, the specialized fraternities, where it's like, we actually are here to, like, do a certain thing and not just, like, get fucked up all the time. I feel like those are. Those seem like they're more like clubs than, like, your traditional frats.

Noah (49:05)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like, the.

Lyle (49:09)

In.

Noah (49:09)

The really cool thing that I appreciate about that, you know, you're talking about the club, is that we would get people that, you know, they weren't music majors, they weren't anything like that, but say they played the guitar for a little bit or they. We had one guy because we had to do this, like, selection process where people had to show, like, what music meant to them or, like, they would play something, perform something. We had a. A brother, a guy who's a really good friend of mine, bring in his record collection and just kind of go through each record and kind of talk about why he Appreciated and why he listened in, why he brought it in.

Lyle (49:43)

That's cool.

Noah (49:45)

Yeah, it was. So what. What was your experience with the fraternity? Like, when you went rushing? Like, you. I'm guessing you went to a couple, like, house parties on Pratt Row or whatever, but, like, for you.

Lyle (49:58)

I met, like, one guy and we kind of became friends, but I just, like, never. They. They kind of. I don't know, I just didn't like the vibe. I wish I had a funny story or something like that, but I kind of gave my. My little spiel and, you know, I'm not. Yeah, it wasn't. It just wasn't for me. But, you know, you find your friends. That's the thing is you kind of go to. You go to school and you kind of just put like, an effort forth to find your friends and you got to have a thing, like having, like, comedy or music. It's great to have a thing, you know, and then you can kind of find people around it. What's your name again? No, no, I. Thank you for your thoughtful commentary on that email. Have a good rest of the day.

Noah (50:38)

Hey, bro. You too. Thank you.

Lyle (50:42)

Let's see, we can. I'll take one more. I'll take another call from here.

India (50:46)

From India.

Lyle (50:50)

Hello.

India (50:52)

Hello.

Lyle (50:53)

Hi, India. You got any thoughts on these emails?

India (50:56)

Yeah, I don't really have any thoughts on the first one because I was never in the frat fraternity scene.

Lyle (51:04)

Not any of them? Any of them?

India (51:06)

Nah. I think, like, for the. The one where the girl was going to be, like, quitting nicotine and like, all of the resolutions and stuff.

Lyle (51:22)

Yeah, please, I bail. I bailed out on advice for that one. So if you could give this girl something, that would be great.

India (51:29)

Yeah, absolutely. I think situations like that, it's. It's maybe like a form of, like, addiction that has to be carefully monitored. Like, I have a friend that's also going through that, like, trying to quit, like, nicotine and weed after smoking every day since she was, like, 15. But, like, it's a feat. And, like, for situations like that, you really, like. I think it's really easy to give up when you try and look at, like, the whole picture of it and be like, God, when am I gonna ever stop, like, smoking? But it's like, day to day and, like, hour to hour, like, what are activities you can replace with, like, smoking weed or, like, having nicotine in your life? And, like, I know that, like, those activities aren't going to have the same, like, fix that, like, smoking does, but it at least, like, kind of starts to rewire your brain to figure out like, I don't know, filling your time in different ways. Does that make sense?

Lyle (52:35)

Yeah. Have you ever had an addiction that you've replaced with something more positive?

India (52:41)

God, not necessarily. That's why it's hard. I can't like, have any like really personal advice with it.

Lyle (52:51)

Sure.

India (52:52)

But like, I don't know, I have like things that I've gotten really into and like, I don't know if it has to do with like mental health and stuff. I think it's like, really, you have to be really deliberate with like how you spend your day because you could just like bedrot for a week or you could just be like, it, I'm gonna like go on a 10 minute walk. But that takes a lot of willpower. Like, that's hard, but it's like creating that routine is so hard, but once you're doing it, it's like, okay, I can do this, you know.

Lyle (53:27)

Hey, thanks for sharing, India. I'm glad. Yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad you could chime in on that one because I, I did kind of bail out on it. But I think everything you're saying is good.

India (53:36)

Yeah, it's, it's, it's personalized. It's a hard one. It makes sense that you bailed out.

Lyle (53:42)

Hey, thank you, India.

India (53:43)

Yeah, of course. Have a good one. By.

Lyle (53:47)

Okay. This is from Juan. Subject line. I've got the N word pass and I'm white. Okay, so for context, I grew up and I'm in South Africa listening to a whole bunch of American hip hop and rap from a young age. Even at school, both primary and high school, I would use the N word in normal conversation amongst most of my guy friends. We were never taught that the N word is a word solely that African Americans use and that saying it is a no no if you are another race parentheses unless you've been given the pass. Lol. I and many of my friends would throw around the word like it's an old friend. Are you my friend? You just referred to the N word as an old friend. That's so funny. And neither of us felt any guilt. And not one of my dark colored homies taught us to stop using it. We were all familiar with how bad the word is due to its cultural and historical significance in America and among African Americans. But neither one of us grew up being told not to use it or being reprimanded from it. By the way, the province has an 82% Zulu population and a 7% white population. So not only were most of my friends black, our exposure rap American culture was always through music where most words were used in a positive homey connotation. I still use the word today amongst most of my friends. And although I will never use the term with strangers when I'm overseas, I won't stop using it because why should I stop using a term that is only contextual amongst Americans? It was American media which taught me to call my homies my. He actually wrote. I'm like, you almost. You almost got me to say it. You wrote it. You give me. You know, give me some. Like, you know what? I a little pissed off at you, Juan, cuz I'm just reading this email. You got to put a dot, dot, dot, or so you got to give me something to look ahead, you know, you got to warn me or else I'm going to, you know. All right, I. You said I've never used it with strangers or when I'm overseas. I mean, fucking. Oh, my. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, probably don't use it overseas or with strangers or else they might get mad at you. I don't know where in South America do you. You're in the. What is. I'm gonna sound like an idiot. What is Zulu? Is that. Let's see. Okay. Yeah, I. You know what? Look, here's the thing. Look, I'm not. I'm not. I'm really, truly not one to tell people, you know, look, do whatever you want with your. Look, look, look, here's the thing. Juan, you're gonna do. Look, Juan, you're gonna do whatever you're gonna do. But if you. But. But I. Maybe don't call the N word an old friend. If you're gonna make any change in this section of your life at all, however small, maybe just don't refer to it as your old friend. I would say that was the chat. Say, Geck, why are you so shit at geography? Because I don't know anything. What is it? Someone said? That's because in South Africa they had apartheid until the 90s. Yeah, that's true. That's a thing someone said. My boyfriend thinks everyone should be allowed to say it. I disagree. Someone said Geck. Maybe he's using it to relate to people. All right, I'm gonna read another email.

Joel (58:21)

2025 is bound to be a fascinating year. It's gonna be filled with money, challenges, and opportunities. I'm Joel. Oh, and I am Matt. And we're the hosts of how to Money. We want to be with you every step of the way in your financial journey this year, offering the information and insights you need to thrive financially. Yeah, whether you find yourself up to your eyeballs in student loan debt or you've got a sky high credit card balance because you went a little overboard with the holiday spending, or maybe you're looking to optimize your retirement accounts so you can retire early. Well, how to Money will help you to check, change your relationship with money so you can stress less and grow your net worth. That's right. How to Money comes out three times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For money advice without the judgment and jargon, listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Inside you, two wolves are locked in battle. One thrives on fear and anger and doubt. The other, courage, wisdom and love. Every decision, every moment feeds one of them. Which wolf are you feeding? I'm Eric Zimmer, host of the One youe Feed. I've been there. Homeless, addicted, and lost. I know the power of small choices to turn your life around. On this podcast, I sit down with thinkers, leaders and survivors to uncover what it takes to feed the good wolf.

Lyle (59:55)

This podcast saved me. It's like having a guide for the.

Joel (59:59)

Hardest parts of life. The wolves are hungry. What will you feed them? Listen to the one you feed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Lyle (60:13)

Catch Jon Stewart back in action on the Daily show and in your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. From his hilarious satirical takes on today's politics and entertainment to the unique voices of correspondents and contributors, it's your perfect companion to stay on top of what's happening now. Plus, you'll get special content just for podcast listeners, like in depth interviews and a roundup of the week's top 10 headlines. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, this is from Larissa. Subject line THC saved my life. Hey Geck, Happy New Year. I love your show and I've been really enjoying this segment. I can't call you to talk about this, so this is my chance to tell you about it. Also, come to Brazil. Are you saying that as a. You know what? You know what is I One time I posted like the first time I announced a tour, I got a lot of comments being like, come to Brazil. And I got like, hype. I was like, oh shit. I have all these like fans in Brazil. That's awesome. And then I was disappointed because I found out that that's like a popular Internet meme and people just say it. So now I'm wary every time someone says to come to Brazil. Anyway, I'm 28 years old and recently discovered I'm autistic. For the past 10 years I've been misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety. Last year I had a very rough time with work, got burnt out, got my heart broken and basically my life fell apart and I tried the S word. I'm lucky I had my own house and car, otherwise I'd be living with my parents. Had to drop out of work and take a good hard look at my life. After my parents came to rescue me. They thought substance abuse was the problem. But turns out I started to see a new psychiatrist and he prescribed me CBD against my parents wishes. And then THC gummies. When I tell you my life shifted, I now go to medical school, have a pretty balanced life and have been seeing my friends and family often. THC helps me stay in a good mood enough so that I can function without crashing out. I get the buzz and then I go to work. This gave me the perspective to realize that I wasn't really happy. I actually wanted to be a doctor for the longest time. And with this new chance in life, I could do it. I mean, I am going to go in almost $250,000 of debt, but the world's ending anyway, so who cares? It's so fucked. I, you know. Yeah, God, whatever. I'm not gonna go on a student debt rant. I used to attach myself emotionally to people in order to feel something and have something to look forward to. And now I can do it daily without the emotional stress. I've decided staying single. I've decided to stay single as romantic involvement fucks up my brain chemistry. But even this past year with treatment, I've been having better and less harmful experiences with people, which is good. When the horny kind of loneliness hits. Oh boy. Don't we all know that horny don't we all know that very specific horn horny brand of loneliness. It's like Pepsi Max but horny loneliness. Anyway, would love to hear your thoughts on this and experiences on how weed affects your daily life activities. I noticed it gets people to either chill and do nothing or chill and get things done. I'd love to buy you a drink or roll you a joint when you're in Rio. Okay, so you do live in Brazil. Geck bless. Yeah, yeah, we've been talking about. I think we Talked about this a lot on the last episode about. About, like, weed and stuff. This is cool. I like hearing an email from someone who, with, like, zero apologeticness is like, oh, I love weed. Weed's a positive force of my life. Okay, here's a thought I've kind of been having in my brain about Weed is like, I think. I don't know how true this is, but I think, like, everything in life is about the shame of it and is about how you feel it fits into your life. And sometimes I'm smoking weed and I'm really high, and I'm just really high, and I'm thinking to myself, I love weed. I love getting high. Getting high is awesome. Everything. I want to keep getting high. I enjoy the place that weed has in my life. This is sick. I'm gonna keep doing this. And I'm just like, you know, I'm not resistant. I'm not, like, smoking weed and then going, oh, I shouldn't be doing this. Oh, I don't. I should. I don't want to need this. And whatever. I'm not, like. I'm not. What's the word? I'm not disapproving of myself or shaming myself for doing it. I'm, like, actively embracing it, which is kind of how you should do all things. Because if you're gonna fucking do something, you might as well be. You might as well feel good about doing it. Like, there's no. There's no. There's literally no point in ever doing anything. Then being like, this fucking sucks. You know what I mean? Like, if you're gonna do. If you're gonna do something, you might as well feel good about it. So if you're gonna smoke weed every day, you might as well, while you're smoking weed every day, be like, oh, this is great. I love weed. And so that's kind of how I've been thinking about it lately. And I'm trying not to be too much of a fucker about it. Like, usually when I'm getting high, I'm trying to do something productive. My favorite thing to do on planet. Planet Earth is to just get really high and go for a long walk. So that's what I do is I get really high and I turn my phone off and my computer off, and I just go outside and I'm. And I'm walk for, like, two hours, and it feels great. And yeah, I mean, I think that's it. It's just like, if you feel good doing it and you accept that you feel good doing it. And you don't, like, I don't know, notice that it's making your life worse. But if. But if every time you're doing it, you're like, oh, fuck, this makes me anxious. This makes me lazy, I shouldn't be doing this, then, you know, something to pay attention to. I'm glad that weed has been. Been good for you. You know, I don't know, I'm like, weird about like, I don't know, SSRIs and like, substances as a way of fixing mental health, but that's me personally. I don't know, I. Every time I hear people who've had success with that, my skepticism wanes. Alright, let's take a phone call from Mike. Mike, you got any thoughts on these emails?

Noah (66:51)

Yeah, I think weed is definitely pretty interesting and it depends on your relationship with it. Oh, yo, give me a sec. All right, so, yeah, I was a mechanical engineer and I smoked weed before, like every test, and it helped me focus, like, immensely.

Lyle (67:13)

I don't think I could have.

Noah (67:15)

Oh, yeah, for sure. I would take dabs and.

Lyle (67:19)

Oh, hey, real quick, are you. Are you. Are you on the speakerphone?

Noah (67:25)

Yeah, bro, I forgot about that.

Lyle (67:26)

Yeah, take me off speakerphone. Is that better? Yeah. Okay. What were you saying?

Noah (67:33)

Oh, I was just saying that I would smoke dabs before like super hard exams and like 90s and stuff, but it's a different for everybody. You know what I mean? So it depends on your relationship with it and your. Your not your work ethic, but your schedule, I guess, with it.

Lyle (67:54)

Mm. Yeah. You know, it's so funny because I. I think I've talked about this before, but like, I used to when I was growing up and like first started smoking weed, I. I had like a friend and she would get really high and do her homework and I was like, dude, what. Like, what are you talking about? Yeah, and. But it's funny because I really, I honest to God, it's just such a thing of like, it affects everyone differently because I could never fucking do that. I. There was a guy. Well, I've probably told this story on the podcast before, but I'll tell it again. I was hanging out with my friend's brother and we were in New York and he's like. At the time he was like trying to become an actor in New York, and he was talking to us about this audition he was gonna go to in just a sec and he was like, this audition, man, this is for a huge, huge part. This, you know, it could be a lot of money, you know, it could really be like a career making audition. Like, you know, this is a really, really important thing. It's for this movie. And, And. And then. And then he's about to leave to go do this audition, and he takes the biggest, milkiest bong ring I've ever seen, and he walks out the door. And then he like, like, gets the part. And I'm like, what the. Like, I could never do. I just could never do that. Like, every, you know, every once in a while, I really. Everyone's different. I, like, I don't want to, like, sometimes. I used to have a hard and fast rule about, like, getting high and doing this podcast.

Noah (69:28)

Mm. I've noticed the past a little bit.

Lyle (69:31)

Yeah, it's like, yeah, I'm not high right now, but it's all. I don't get. I. I don't get high when I do geck mail because I can't just. I can't be high and fucking read. Yeah, read and come up with my own thoughts. But, like, I. Yeah, it slipped a little bit. And not a lot. Like, I. I Maybe am high one out of every, like, 10 of these fucking podcasts.

Noah (69:56)

No, I've noticed that you kind of. That's the thing that I always said in college, my friends, is I use it as a tool. And I've noticed you kind of do that, like when the stream's kind of like in a roll or like, you need to kind of like change your frame of mind for a second. Should go take a penjam in real quick.

Lyle (70:11)

Yeah, I've never, ever, ever and never, ever would do it during any of my live shows because that would be. To have. Fucking terrifying.

Noah (70:22)

Like, yeah, shoot, what was it? Certain stuff. And like, man, I can't even remember what I stopped for. I guess the last thing I can think of is, like, sports in high school. Like, I want my lungs to be good for, like, section finals or something. So I stopped for, like, a few weeks for that, but. Oh, and the jobs. A couple jobs. Because engineering shit, I had to stop for a couple times. But yeah, I'm kind of like, the same way if. If I can't go there like myself, which is ripped, but, like, not really ripped. Just like.

Lyle (70:59)

Oh, dude, you're. Hold on. Your phone. Your phone's fucking up, whatever you're doing with it.

Noah (71:02)

Oh, is it.

Lyle (71:02)

Is it good now? Oh, yeah, it's better now.

Noah (71:05)

I'm on Wi Fi calling because I'm out in the. I'm. I don't have good service actually. But, yeah, I can relate to that guy. But I can also relate to people that like go through periods of time, I definitely go through periods of time myself where I'm like abusing it, you know what I mean? And it's like I need to go on a walk like you do or something instead to get like out of that habit, you know what I mean? So there's definitely a balance with it, with everything in life. Like you could you get carried away eating donuts and things like that, but you, that doesn't mean you should give up donuts for life, in my opinion.

Lyle (71:46)

It would be funny though if you like had to eat a donut to like do your homework.

Noah (71:52)

Dude, I had roommates like that. They would have snacks like ready on deck to do homework. I'm like, dude, I can't get my fingers all sticky while I'm holding my pencil. But I, I feel everybody's got their own, their own way. But I, I, I, I want to say be careful with what I'm saying and don't use it as like confirmation bias for people that are actually struggling and it's affecting relationships or whatnot.

Lyle (72:19)

What's your name again?

Noah (72:21)

Mike.

Lyle (72:22)

Mike. Thank you for calling, Mike.

Noah (72:24)

Yeah, thanks for taking my call. It's been a long time, long time fan.

Lyle (72:28)

Thank you, Mike. Oh crap. I, I hung up on him when he said take care. But that was, that was, that was not. I'm enjoying these phone call. I'm enjoying this, this format of the show. This is fun. This is nice. I feel like it makes things a little bit more pointed, I would say. Okay, I'm gonna read one more email and take one more call on this, on this, on this show. Let's read one more email. Okay. Alright. This is from McKenna. Subject line, I am a horse girl. Hi Geck. First of all, Happy New Year. I love listening to your podcast while I'm at work. Now to get into it, I just recently moved to a big city. I won't say which one, but it starts with a B and it's in Massachusetts. After finishing college and getting married to my husband who I love so much. I also just started an office job not long ago. It's boring, but it's mostly okay. The issue is that I am a horse girl. I rode horses from 8 to 15 years old and then I got depressed and just sort of stopped all my hobbies. But the past few years I have been really wanting to do it again. I never had the time or money before and now the problem is that I live in an area with A lot of people and not a lot of horses, so there are no barns near me. I also need to buy all new equipment to take lessons, which would not be cheap. Should I drive 40 plus minutes out of the city and save more money to ride an animal sometimes or just find something else to do? Please advise. Thank you. Should I drive for. Yeah, I mean, if it's something you want to. If it's. Look, here's the thing you just said. It depends on how much you want to do it, right? I can't really answer this question for you. Like, if you. If. If you really want to do it, then, like, I wouldn't. I wouldn't let having to save up some money and having to go drive 40 minutes stop you from doing something that you really want to do. Like if, like ask this. Ask yourself how badly you want to do it. And if it's like on a scale from 1 to 10, it's like an 8, then that's worth it. If it's like a 4, then. Nah. If. Okay, here's. If I were to just answer this, simply ask, I would ask yourself how badly you want to do it and if it's at least a 7 out of 10 badly you want to do it, it's worth saving up money and driving out of the city for. Okay, we're gonna do one final call. Someone said hobbies cost money no matter what. Yeah, but some are more. I mean, we had a guy talk about race car driving. Some are more expensive than others.

India (75:05)

Call from Michael.

Lyle (75:09)

Hello?

Tara (75:09)

Hello.

Lyle (75:11)

Hey, what's up, man? You got any thoughts about any of these emails? I was talking about the horse girl email.

Tara (75:17)

I think she should continue her passion.

Lyle (75:19)

Yeah. Okay, go ahead. Why do you. Any, Any. Why do you think that.

Tara (75:25)

If you're.

Lyle (75:26)

Really passionate about something, I don't think.

Tara (75:27)

You should just stop doing it.

India (75:30)

Especially if she really wants to.

Tara (75:32)

You know what I mean?

Lyle (75:33)

Mm. Mm. Yeah, I think so too. It's like. Well, somebody in the chat was like, all hobbies are expensive, but I don't think, you know. Yeah, if it's something you really want to do. And you know, and also, also everyone has their thing they like to spend a little bit of money on. For some people, it's like fucking crack cocaine. And if yours is riding, I think that's pretty good. Yeah, I think that's pretty good. That's a lot better than crack cocaine. You said it best. Yeah. You have any hobbies? I dabble in some fishing from time to time. Okay. Is fishing expensive? That. That requires Equipment and stuff.

Joel (76:11)

Yeah, you know, I do it pretty.

Tara (76:12)

Cheap, but sometimes it could be expensive.

India (76:15)

If, you know, like on the sea and everything. But I usually just stay at streams.

Lyle (76:20)

Like creeks and stuff.

India (76:22)

That's not too expensive.

Lyle (76:25)

Any other thoughts before we go? No, not really.

Tara (76:29)

Just glad talk to talk to you gak.

Lyle (76:32)

Thank you, Michael. Have a good night.

India (76:34)

You too.

Lyle (76:38)

I will do one more.

India (76:44)

From Advice Alien.

Lyle (76:48)

Hello?

India (76:50)

Hey, what's up man?

Lyle (76:51)

Hey man, you got any thoughts about these emails?

India (76:54)

Yeah, I wanted to go back to the weed thing. Is it too late?

Lyle (76:57)

No. Please hit me.

India (76:59)

Okay.

Lyle (77:01)

Oh my God.

India (77:01)

It's my favorite thing to do, but I've been taking a hiatus for the past year and a half.

Lyle (77:08)

And how has the hiatus been feeling.

India (77:13)

Dude? Like everyone's talking about like doing it all the time. And like, I think this year I'm gonna get my together and start doing it again.

Lyle (77:22)

What? What do you mean? What, what do you mean get your together and start doing it again?

India (77:26)

So like it was something that's too, took up too much money in my life, you know, Like I was spending way too much money on it and like I, I gotta be an adult, like be better about my bills and stuff, you know, there's stuff like that.

Lyle (77:41)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel like, I don't know, it's interesting. It's interesting. I feel like this is a common trope on the podcast. You kind of hearing about people's relationship with weed and some people swear by it, some people are like, you know, it's ruined my fucking life. But I mean, how in, in your, in your hiatus, is there anything that you've like, like, has anything positive been gleaned from it?

India (78:10)

I'm gonna be honest with you, man.

Lyle (78:12)

Not really.

India (78:12)

I, I got diagnosed with the ADD and the odds and all that. And I realized that actually really helps me out a lot more.

Joel (78:21)

I'm a lot more creative.

India (78:22)

So like last time I got high, I came up with the idea for a YouTube channel and I was, I finally executed it. It was great.

Lyle (78:29)

Kick ass.

India (78:32)

I'm outside in an alien costume, by the way. Like we're driving by, waving at me.

Lyle (78:37)

You're in an, you're outside in an alien costume right now?

India (78:41)

Yeah, just to take your phone call.

Lyle (78:43)

Why, why are you in, you put on an alien costume just to call me? Yeah, man, I, I, I wanted to.

India (78:50)

Come to earth and help people out like you are, but I was going to do like actual advice videos.

Lyle (78:58)

I've been, I like that, like that idea. I hope that you, I hope I Hope. I hope that idea brings you much happiness.

India (79:07)

I hope so too, man. If you come to Seattle, I'll open up for you.

Lyle (79:11)

Okay? All right, man. You take care.

India (79:14)

You too, bro.

Lyle (79:15)

Later. All right, folks, do I have anything else to say about anything at all? See, do I have anything else to say about anything at all? Nope, I don't think so. Everyone be good. Everyone live life. Let me know in the cat look, look. If you look, let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts about this podcast, the people who listen to it. If you have thoughts about this podcast, view things you want to see, ideas for little segments, anything like that. I'm trying to switch it up. I'm trying to come up with new ideas. I'm trying to make things more fun for myself. I'm trying to make things more fun for the listeners. So you know, Spotify has comment section. Leave a comment if you listen on Spotify. If you watch on YouTube, leave a comment. If you want to be part of the Geck mail segment, you could send an email to therapygeckomailmail.com that's therapygeckomailmail.Com if you want to be part of the Therapy Gecko Geck mail segment. And if you want to call in, you can go to Twitch TV Lyle forever and give me a follow there. And then you will probably get a little notification notification that will pop up when I'm streaming and that's it. Thank you guys for listening to this thing. And I will, I will see you all around the universe. Oh yeah, and I'm gonna be fucking. Oh, also another thing, I don't know, I don't know the logistics of this, so I don't want to promise anything. But if you live in Japan and you would come to a live show or even just like a meetup, maybe I'll do something like that. If you like live in Japan, whether you're Japanese, you're like an expat or something, let me, let me know in the comments if you'd come to a live show or a meetup in Tokyo and maybe I'll do something like that. Alright, thank you all. Geck bless. And I don't have a. I don't have a. I don't have another thing to say. Therapy get goes to teaching you how to live your life. But he's not really an expert.

Joel (82:01)

Joel, the holidays are a blast, but the financial hangover, that can be a huge bummer. If you are out there and you're dreading the new statement email that reveals the massive balance that you may have racked up. Well, you could use our help.

Lyle (82:14)

That's right.

Joel (82:15)

I'm Joel. And I am Matt, and we're from the how to Money podcast. Our show is all about helping you make sense of your personal finances so you can ditch your pesky credit card debt once and for all, make real progress on other crucial financial goals that you've got, and just feel more in control of your money in general. You know it. For money advice without the judgment and jargon, listen to How To Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you want a shortcut to the best version of you? Here it is. Feed the Good Wolf I'm Eric Zimmer, host of the One youe Feed. Every week I talk to brilliant minds and brave souls about the art of small, powerful choices. Our listeners say it all.

Lyle (83:02)

This is a lifeline transformational, the best antidote to a bad mood I've ever heard.

Joel (83:09)

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Lyle (83:22)

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