“I AM SIMPLY BETTER THAN EVERYONE”

Summary

Therapy Gecko – “I AM SIMPLY BETTER THAN EVERYONE”

Podcast: Therapy Gecko
Host: Lyle the Gecko
Air Date: April 30, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this vibrant and candid episode, Lyle the Gecko connects with a listener named Gandalf (or "Gandham"), inviting her to unpack a complex year marked by political upheaval in Iran, personal betrayals, and existential musings about her outlook on people and relationships. Together, they traverse everything from Barbie movies to the challenges of authenticity, social disconnection, family, and heartbreak—anchored in Lyle’s signature gecko-adjacent, wry therapy style.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Late-Night Internet Rabbit Holes & Barbie Discourse

(00:35–07:01)

• Gandalf discusses staying up until 2am to watch a 1 hour 40 minute YouTube breakdown of all 42 Barbie movies and laments the creator’s uninformed takes, specifically his criticism of "Barbie and the Diamond Castle."
• Lyle commiserates, noting the almost compulsive appeal of long, exhaustive ranking videos online, framing it as "the lengths people will go to avoid their own thoughts."
  • Quote (Lyle, 04:54):
    “It speaks to how the lengths that people will go to just avoid their own thoughts that a man who doesn't even care about Barbie… made an hour and 42 minute long video… and another person who also doesn't really care that much about Barbie sat and watched the entire video. Like, what the fuck is going on here?”

2. "I Am Simply Better Than Everyone" – Social Filtering, Kindness, and Authenticity

(07:01–16:23)

• Text Recap: Lyle reads Gandalf’s year-old message describing herself as “intense, intimidating, mean, rude, bitch,” yet “very nice and always right,” with close relationships and general disdain for most people.
• Gandalf reflects:
  • She distinguishes between being "nice" and "kind," claiming she's the latter, and values authenticity.
  • Admits, “I can't really say that I'm simply better than everyone. That's a bit much… but also, like, not a lot of people like me.”
• Her work: 1400-employee environment, “I like five of them.”
• On authenticity and dislike of ‘people-pleasers’:
  • Quote (Gandalf, 11:20):
    “I feel like people are very nice, not very kind, and I don’t like that. I don’t think that people are very authentic… there's this abundance of people pleasers, and I just can't trust a people pleaser.”
• Satisfaction with her select circle of ‘cool,’ real, and “magical” people.

3. Misanthropy, Relationships, and Friendship Selection

(16:23–16:58)

• Gandalf admits she resonates with the term “misanthropic,” while clarifying she does sometimes connect instantly with "awesome" people, especially in music scenes.
  • Quote (Gandalf, 15:22):
    “Yeah, there are some very wonderful people… but generally, yeah, I don't really like people.”
• Lyle probes further, confirming Gandalf both knows what she wants and feels content in her selectivity.

4. Gandalf’s Rough Year: Iran, Cheating, Psych Ward, and Losses

(16:58–32:10)

a) Iran—War, Riots, and Family Separation

• Gandalf is Iranian, from Tehran, moved to the US three years prior.
• Describes the trauma of being an immigrant, separated from family during bombings and political violence.
• Explains Tehran’s districts ("Hunger Games"-like stratification), currency collapse, and her privileged background in Iran eroded by economic instability.
• Shares stories of oppression:
  • Quote (Gandalf, 26:18):
    “…the government killed like 40,000 people. 40,000 people in like a month. And a lot of them were my friends and family. …Internet’s been down, phone lines have been down. …You don't really have a way of communicating with people back home.”
• Lyle draws on parallels to Venezuela and the futility/complexity of foreign intervention (“double edged sword”).
• Tells a harrowing story of schoolboys executed for chanting anti-regime slogans—illustrating the horror and everyday violence of life under dictatorship.

b) Personal Relationship Turmoil

• Gandalf recounts being cheated on by a man 22 years older; her pattern of attraction to older men.
  • Quote (Gandalf, 32:52):
    “It's strange. I am just simply not attracted to men who are not twice my age, essentially… I just don't super get along with men [my age].”
• Details a “friends with benefits” turned exclusive—he betrayed her with a random Uber passenger, brought her home, and lied about it.
  • Memorable moment: Lyle asks if the cheating happened “with the meter on” (38:10), injecting humor into the story.
• She shares having been previously engaged to an older man in Iran, discovering he was already married weeks before their wedding.
  • Quote (Gandalf, 41:21):
    “I was engaged to this guy who was, again, older than me… and then, like, two weeks before my wedding, I find out that he was married already.”

c) Observations on ‘Illegal-but-Normal’ Culture in Iran

• Drugs, alcohol, and arbitrary law enforcement:
  • Gandalf describes bribery as normal, “In a world where everything is illegal, nothing is.”
• Lyle and Gandalf both highlight the paradox of restrictions and everyday workarounds.

5. Self-Reflection and Closing Thoughts

(46:45–47:36)

• On seeking space after cheating, the exhaustion of drama, and the weirdness of “being cheated on with someone who then asks your ex for $40.”
• Gandalf appreciates the talk but admits “there’s always more,” highlighting the perennial nature of healing and sharing.

6. On Honesty and Personal Integrity

• Gandalf’s parting message:
  • Quote (Gandalf, 49:24):
    “Be honest with yourself and with the people around you, even if it’s scary, because it kind of sucks to be a deceiving person.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On wasted energy and niche internet media:
  “Another person who also doesn't really care that much about Barbie sat and watched the entire video. Like, what the fuck is going on here?”
  —Lyle, (04:54)

• On authenticity vs. niceness:
  “I feel like people are very nice, not very kind, and I don’t like that. I don’t think that people are very authentic… there’s this abundance of people pleasers, and I just can't trust a people pleaser.”
  —Gandalf, (11:20)

• On Iran’s political turmoil:
  “…the government killed like 40,000 people. 40,000 people in like a month. And a lot of them were my friends and family… after that, Trump was like, I’m going to bomb Iran… the people in Iran were like, fuck, yeah, we’re tired of this government… but, like, at the same time, I’m like, come on, you guys. Like… we can't be bombed for that.”
  —Gandalf, (26:18)

• On recurring relationship patterns:
  “It's strange. I am just simply not attracted to men who are not twice my age, essentially… I just don't super get along with men [my age].”
  —Gandalf, (32:52)

• On forbidden, yet normal, behaviors in Iran:
  “In a world where everything is illegal, nothing is.”
  —Gandalf, (43:33)

• Parting wisdom:
  “Be honest with yourself and with the people around you, even if it’s scary, because it kind of sucks to be a deceiving person.”
  —Gandalf, (49:24)

---

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:35–04:54 – Barbie movie YouTube binge/Dissection of internet video culture
• 07:01–16:23 – Gandalf’s self-description and worldview: the limits of niceness and authenticity
• 16:23–16:58 – On misanthropy and selective connections
• 16:58–32:10 – Discussion of Iran, emigration, and family
• 26:18–32:10 – Brutal government repression and personal anecdotes
• 32:52–41:36 – Gandalf’s attraction to older men, relationship betrayals, and cultural context on marriage
• 43:33–44:12 – “Everything is illegal, nothing is” – Social realities of Iran
• 49:24 – Gandalf’s closing advice
• 48:07–49:08 – Discussing the Therapy Gecko show and its "people-watching" appeal

---

Tone & Style

The episode is honest, funny, and frequently sobering. Lyle imbues the conversation with empathy, curiosity, and occasional absurd humor, while Gandalf is frank, self-aware, and oscillates between dark humor and vulnerability. Despite heavy themes, their banter keeps the tone conversational and relatable, true to Therapy Gecko’s ethos.

---

Takeaways

• The internet is a strange place where people lose track of their time (and perhaps themselves) watching content they're barely passionate about.
• Gandalf exemplifies a person unafraid to filter her social world, prizing a small circle of real, mutually selective connections over shallow broad friendships.
• Her life illustrates the ongoing impact of political disorder and violence on personal wellbeing, family bonds, and identity.
• Culture clash, trauma, and heartbreak are at play in her stories—yet she maintains a strong, if guarded, sense of self.
• Throughout, both host and guest celebrate skepticism, integrity, and the courage required for honesty.

---

This episode provides a richly human lens on modern struggles—big and small—and reminds listeners that even in the vast, sometimes hostile universe, meaningful (if fleeting) connections can be found… even with a gecko.

Transcript

[Gandalf]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Liberty Mutual Ad Voice]

Guaranteed Human Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance. And now we're customizing this rush hour ad to keep you calm, which could help your driving. And science says therapy is great for a healthy mindset. So enjoy this 14 second session on us. I think you've done everything right and absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, anything that hasn't gone your way could probably be blamed on your father not being emotionally available because his father wasn't emotionally available, and so on. And now that you're calm and healing, you're probably driving better too.

[Gandalf]

Liberty. Liberty.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Liberty.

[Gandalf]

Liberty.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Hello?

[Gandalf]

Hello.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Hello. Hi, what's up?

[Gandalf]

Hello, what's your name? Hi, my name is Gandalm. Nice to meet you, Gandom.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Am I saying that right?

[Gandalf]

Yeah, you got it.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Thanks for randomly picking up my phone call. Sometimes I. Alright, I'm gonna tell you something crazy, but I mean, I saw, I used to. I mean I might start doing this up again at some point. I don't know. I just. For now it's easier. I used to take all these phone calls on Twitch and then, and then I started just like posting Instagram stories for people to like call in whenever. I'm live doing that. And then I. Today I was like, well, I have all these people who texted me, but they've been texting me over time. So I was just like. I saw a random text from a person who texted me like on Tuesday and I was like, I wonder if they'll pick up if I randomly call them right now. And you did.

[Gandalf]

I did. And you know what? I just woke up like I woke up to this phone call.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Well, I appreciate that. It's not a weird time. It's like, I mean, I don't know where you are in the country, but it's, it's, it's. It's not a particularly weird time anywhere in America.

[Gandalf]

It's not at all a weird time at all. 2:04pm to stay. I happened to stay up until 2am last night because I was watching this guy's thoughts on all 42 Barbie movies and it took an hour and 40 minutes and I just couldn't. I, I was, I was too deep in. I needed to know his thoughts on all the Barbie movies.

[Lyle the Gecko]

The way you're phrasing it took an hour and 42 minutes. It's like it was a job that was assigned to you.

[Gandalf]

I was just so captivated. You know, I love the Barbie movies. And you know what? His opinions were simply incorrect. Like he was dogging on Barbie and the Diamond Castle, I was like, Barbie and the Diamond Castle is the best one.

[Lyle the Gecko]

So yeah, I, I have to say I also, I also am a deep fan of this kind of. I'll be actually, now I think about it, I had, I had a similar night. I was up until late watching like there's all these like, dude, there's all these like 7 hour long videos that. And they all have like millions and millions of views. Like this one has like 6 million views where it's like ranking every single episode of Family Guy or like reviewing every single episode just like in one video. And I'm like, I'll watch that.

[Gandalf]

Yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Did this guy, did this guy do all of the Barbie movies in one video or did he kind of spread them out?

[Gandalf]

He did. No, he did. He had them up in three categories. And you know what's insane, he literally dedicated three days to watch all of them. So he just woke up and started watching Barbie movies and then just stopped to sleep essentially. But he watched them all in one go.

[Lyle the Gecko]

And did this guy do this like because he was bored or like as clickbait or is he genuinely a Barbie movie fan?

[Gandalf]

I don't know. I don't know this person. His video just popped up on my feed and I clicked on it. He didn't seem like a fan. You know, he was being very critical and you know, he had some valid points, but I don't know, I feel like he wasn't the best candidate to be ranking them because he didn't seem like the person who, the type of person who was like raised on them kind of. So I would like to see someone who has a little bit of more personal, you know, someone who has a little bit more experience and is more immersed in the like Barbie world. I'm not a big Barbie fan, don't get me wrong. But like the movies, some of them, you know, I mean, I watched them as a kid and they were pretty good. They were pretty good.

[Lyle the Gecko]

There is something, there's something so awesome and it speaks to. And I, I feel this way too. Like it speaks to how the lengths that people will go to just avoid their own thoughts that a man who doesn't even care about Barbie and has really no personal investment in Barbie made an hour and 42 minute long video ranking all the Barbie movies. And then another person who also doesn't really care that much about Barbie sat and watched the entire video. Like, what the fuck is going on here? You know?

[Gandalf]

Yeah, yeah. Well, I don't know. It was all right. What really Offended me was honestly Barbie and the Diamond Castle. Have you watched that one?

[Lyle the Gecko]

I haven't seen any of them. I. I also there's. I mean, obviously there's like, the big, famous live action one, but I assume this is mostly about all the. All the animated ones.

[Gandalf]

This is. Yeah, this is all the animated ones. But wait, let me tell you this. Barbie and the Diamond Castle is about these two girls who live in this tiny little hut, and they're super po, right? And then they go on to find this Diamond Castle. And the. And the Diamond Castle is like a. It's a whole music thing. So, like, you have to play music for the diamond to. For the Diamond Castle to appear. Like, there's. It's all about music, and there's, like, evil music and good music, but there are these two little puppy dogs in there who are the sidekicks who are absolutely adorable. And then when they hear music, they get up on their two legs and they start dancing. And he was hating on them so hard. He was like, these dogs freak me out. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And that. At that point, I kind of. I kind of was like, all right, this person is not qualified to be ranking these movies because he's dogging on the dogs. And that's not. Okay,

[Lyle the Gecko]

can I read your text message

[Gandalf]

if you would like to.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Sure. I actually don't remember it. We've been talking about Barbie so long, I'm. Oh, okay. All right. Well, you sent me. You sent me one last year, it looks like. I'll just read it. Otherwise, I'll read the whole log, and that way we'll get it. We'll get an idea of you.

[Gandalf]

Well, I reread the one that I sent to you last year, and I was like, that's a little. I mean, it's not wrong.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Okay, let's read the whole. Okay, let's read the whole log, and that'll give us somewhere to go from. Okay. All right. November 29, 2025. You text me. You said the words most commonly used to describe me are intense, intimidating, mean, rude, bitch. But I think I'm very nice and I'm always right. I have a lot of close relationships in my life, and they all love me very much. I just hate everyone except a few people. No one is interesting. I'm simply better than everyone now. Okay, I'll read the second part of the log. But you wanted to offer. I'll let you offer your commentary or your reflection of the. Because it seemed like you had a reflection upon this. And the time.

[Gandalf]

I do Have a reflection upon this.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Yeah, what's your reflection?

[Gandalf]

It's not incorrect when I mean everyone. I mean, like, the genuine, general, outside world. Not like, people who know me and people have been people who are around me. I. I don't know, man. I just feel like I have so many wonderful, close relationships that I don't really go out into the world, like, showing interest in people unless they do something that kind of stands out to me. And I'm like, okay, I want to be friends with you. And I feel like people don't like that. Like, when I said, I'm very nice, I want to revise that. I'm very kind, you know, I'm not very nice. And they don't like that. And I'm like, well, I don't. I already have all these things going on for me. I don't really have the time or energy to try and be nice to you and trying to be friends with you. And, you know, people read that as me being intense, and I can't really say that they're wrong. I can't say that I'm simply better than everyone. That's a bit much, you know, but also, like, not a lot of people like me. Like, I work in a very social environment. Like, I work somewhere with 1400 employees, and they're all like, I like five of them. And so.

[Lyle the Gecko]

So what do you mean. What do you mean by. What do you mean when you say that you like the world at large, but you don't like? You like people as an idea. You say you like the world at large, but you don't like the people you interact with.

[Gandalf]

I don't recall saying that.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Wait, what? You said something like. Do you remember what. You. You said something to that extent.

[Gandalf]

I said. Did I say something to that? I said I don't like everyone?

[Lyle the Gecko]

No, it wasn't about.

[Gandalf]

It was about.

[Lyle the Gecko]

It wasn't about you being better than. It was about. Like, this is a fuck. Well, we recorded it. So it's somewhere, Someone, Someone. Someone listening to this. Just skip back 15 seconds. Skip back 30 seconds and tell us

[Gandalf]

what we get back 15. Go back 30 seconds and tell me I'm right. You know, it says it in there. I'm just always right.

[Lyle the Gecko]

It's. It's about. Well, okay, so you said something about. So you don't like. Okay, so you said you hate.

[Gandalf]

I don't like the world at large. Like, okay, I don't. Okay, the. I hate everyone. Hate is a strong word, but I don't really like the general public. You know, I feel like people are very nice, not very kind, and I don't like that. I don't think that people are very authentic. And I think it's quite difficult to come across people who are authentic and who are honest because there's like this abundance of people pleasers. And, you know, I just can't trust a people pleaser. I can only trust people who are like very much straight up because I'm a very straight up person and sometimes that offends people. And if, if you're a people pleaser, chances are I'm never going to know when it offends you. And you're just going to keep hanging out with me and you're going to keep being smiley and you know, eventually you're going to be like, anna, that thing that you said bothered me. And I'm like, well, you never, you never said that it bothered you. So how am I supposed to know?

[Lyle the Gecko]

Okay, let's get into this. Let's get into this and then I'll bring up the, the most recent text. But okay, so do, do you. The status quo that you're describing of everyone thinks I'm mean and I don't like anyone and all this stuff. Do you desire a change in that status quo or do you like this?

[Gandalf]

Not necessarily, because, you know, I kind of feel like I filter out people. And like I mentioned, I do have a very good community and I have very nice close relationships. So it's like, it's almost like not, not, not really. You know, I feel like I. People don't like me. But that's okay because the own, like, only cool people like me, you know, and I only think that the people that like me are cool. So it doesn't really matter.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Why do you say that only cool people like you?

[Gandalf]

Because they're the only people that I think are cool. Coolest.

[Lyle the Gecko]

So tell me, tell me about, tell me about the people that like you.

[Gandalf]

The people that like me are just the people who are. Well, I've been told that I'm an acquired taste also. So people like me are usually people who have been around me enough to kind of see me, just, just see me more. I don't know how to answer that question. I just think they're cool. Well, they're all different in their own ways, but they're all pretty magical people. They're all pretty unique. They tend to be people who are way more real with themselves and the world around them. And, you know, it's kind of people who are a little bit like Me, they're a little bit more skeptical, I guess

[Lyle the Gecko]

so. Okay, so it sounds like. I mean, you're. You're clearly pretty misanthropic, and so it sounds like you.

[Gandalf]

I don't know what that word means. This is my second language.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Misanthropic means, like a general. Misanthropic means a general disdain for other people. Like, general disdain for people.

[Gandalf]

Yeah, there are some very wonderful people in the world. Like, I do. I make music and a lot of times I meet people and just instantly I'm like, okay, you're awesome. Awesome, actually. But, yeah, generally, yeah, I don't really like people.

[Lyle the Gecko]

So you get along with other people who don't like people?

[Gandalf]

Pretty much. Yeah, pretty much.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Mm. Do you feel. Are you satisfied with your. It sounds like you are. I mean, are you satisfied with your current relationships and community and whatnot?

[Gandalf]

I'm pretty satisfied. Not going to lie to you. Pretty satisfied. I mean, obviously we all have troubles in our relationships, in life at some point with some people, but in general, yeah, I've been. Been pretty satisfied throughout my life with my people. Picker.

[Lyle the Gecko]

All right, so you texted me yesterday and you said between my hometown being bombed, being cheated on by a man 22 years older than me, being in a psych ward, and finding new love just to say goodbye to her before she moves across the country, it is safe to say that I am spiraling. Okay, let's go. Why don't we do these one at a time?

[Gandalf]

Let's do that. Actually, I mentioned it in chronological order, so that works.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Okay. Are you Iranian?

[Gandalf]

I am, yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Oh, really?

[Gandalf]

Yep.

[Lyle the Gecko]

What. When was the last. Like, where in Iran are you from? Are you from Tehran?

[Gandalf]

I'm from Tehran, yeah. I'm from the capital.

[Lyle the Gecko]

When was the last time you were there?

[Gandalf]

I moved here. Um, my three year anniversary is coming up pretty quick. The last time that I was there was the summer of 2024, so it's. It's been a minute.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Wow. Mm.

[Gandalf]

Yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Did you grow up in Tehran?

[Gandalf]

I did, yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

How is your English and accent?

[Gandalf]

So I was raised bilingual. I was raised bilingual. My mom made it a point to speak Eng with me constantly so that I would know how to speak English.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Is. Is your mom both your parents are Iranian?

[Gandalf]

Both my parents are Iranian, but my mom and my grandparents on my mom's side are all like. They've all lived in America at some point or another, and they're all like, citizens, so.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Okay, so this is all from your mom. Like, you're like, obviously, like, when you didn't go to. You didn't go to. Did you go. You didn't go to, like, an international school or anything like that?

[Gandalf]

So. Every school in Iran teaches English, and I did go to a very bougie French school, so.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Okay, so you did. Yeah, you did go to a bougie

[Gandalf]

international school for like, three years, for not that long, but okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, dude.

[Lyle the Gecko]

What? Yeah, go ahead.

[Gandalf]

Go ahead. I was just a random.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Interesting. I want to go. I want to do a. I want to do an Iran video. I don't know if I want to go right now. It is funny. I'm sure you know this, but, like, I. I did it. Well, I did a video in Iraq, and people think that I was. Went to Iran.

[Gandalf]

It was so good.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Oh, hell yeah. Hell, yeah.

[Liberty Mutual Ad Voice]

Hell, yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Well, it's. What I don't say. I'm sure you know this to say, you know about the video. I say, you sure you know this? Like, people think I went to Iran because people think that they're the same country. Like, I'm getting people being like, yeah, dude, you're crazy. You were. It's crazy that you were there. Right before they started bombing it. I was like, this is a totally different place.

[Gandalf]

Totally different place. But okay, you should go to Iran. I think you would absolutely love it. I think anyone who is watching this video should go to Iran because there is no danger or. Well, probably not right now, like, as it's being actively bombed. But it's such a beautiful place. It's a very inexpensive trip outside of your plane ticket, obviously, and it's just beautiful. And there's such a wide range of things to do. Like, there are islands in the south that are tropical and super fun, and then you can go to the north and you can ski and snowboard, and there are a lot of cool deserts, and there's a lot of ancient architecture and museums, and the people are just so nice and warm and inviting. It's great. It's great.

[Lyle the Gecko]

That's cool. That's cool. Yeah. Well, can. Can you even, like, physically. Well, you have a. You have an Iranian passport, right?

[Gandalf]

Yes.

[Lyle the Gecko]

So you can go. But, like, can a random American even go right now?

[Gandalf]

Yes. Yeah, you can. You can get a visa. I don't know about right now. Right now, I think that the flights are so closed. Like, I don't think anyone can get in and out right now. I know that my best friend lives in London and she just wanted to go back home because the mental pressure of not being around her family while they were being bombed. Was too much. And she was like, I kind of want to be there if something happens. So that also. And she went back. So she flied into Turkey, and then her parents went and picked her up from the border and drove her back. So you can't really fly in and out right now, but, yeah, you can get a visa. You can just go. I wouldn't recommend if you have any kind of, like, if you have at any point worked for the government or even, like, been in the military, but anything else.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Not done. I have super not done either of those things.

[Gandalf]

Okay, then you're fine.

[Lyle the Gecko]

The last real job I had was making gifts of Rick and Morty for Instagram.

[Gandalf]

You're safe.

[Lyle the Gecko]

That counts. I think I'm safe.

[Gandalf]

You're safe.

[Lyle the Gecko]

What the hell was I gonna say? Okay, so do you have a lot of family back there?

[Gandalf]

My whole family is back there. I moved here. My uncle's here, but I have my mom, my dad, my grandparents, my siblings who are five years old, all my friends. Yeah, everyone's back home.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Do you feel like you. Do you have the same. Because I. I've heard people, like, I. I talked to people in Ukraine where they're like, I don't want to leave because I don't want to, you know, be away from, like, you know, folks being there while all this is happening. Like, do you have that feeling, too?

[Gandalf]

You know, it's. It's hard because, of course I have that feeling, but also, I'm here so that I can build a future for myself that is a little bit more stable, so that when my family decides to move back here, they'll have an easier time, because, again, it's my grandparents who are old and can't work. It's my mom and then my two siblings who are, like, I mentioned, five years old and also can't work. And I would like to be able to have a life that I can, you know, provide for them and ensure that they're comfortable. Because when I was so. It's interesting. Iran, the big cities are divided by districts, And Tehran is 22 districts. And just like the Hunger Hunger Games, the higher the district number, like, the smaller the number, the bougier it is. And I lived in District 1, which was pretty bougie, and I lived in one of the best neighborhoods in District 1. And, you know, safe to say that I was a very, very privileged person back home. But if you have money, it's old money. And the thing with old money is that it runs out. And because of the Currency rates and like. Oh, I've heard it's crazy, the dollar being so expensive. Yeah. It's like a upper class person in America would be lucky if they were like, middle class here. Sorry, In Iran. Not, not in America. In Iran.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Oh, oh, oh. An up. An upper class. Oh. Person. Oh, oh. Like, do you mean taking, like, Iranian dollars?

[Gandalf]

Yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Is it Iran or Iran or. I feel like I'm interchanged.

[Gandalf]

Iran. Okay, it's Iran. But you can say, yeah, Iranian.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Okay. So if you take like. So I. Okay, it's. We had another caller on the podcast who also is from Iran, and he was talking about how, like, the currency is so, like, is like, so shitty right now that, like, it's really bad that you. It's like you lose money going to work because you have to, like, fill up your car or something like that. And so that's. I mean, that's like when people start rioting is when there's, like, nothing to lose.

[Gandalf]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

And then.

[Gandalf]

So, like, that's why. Yeah, yeah, that's why this most recent bombing was so kind of conflicting, because in January, people were rioting back home and the government killed like 40,000 people. 40,000 people in like a month.

[Lyle the Gecko]

It's insane.

[Gandalf]

And, you know, a lot of them were my friends and family. Like, I have many, many friends who were, I think, like eight. I stopped counting. And, like, it's kind of hard to know because, like, Internet's been down, phone lines have been down. You don't really have a way of communicating with people back home. Internet has recently started to get back up, but it's still pretty flaky. So after that, Trump was like, I'm going to bomb Iran. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then the people in Iran was, we're like, fuck, yeah, we're tired of this government. We don't want this bullshit anymore. But, like, at the same time, I'm like, come on, you guys. Like, we, we can't be bombed for that. So when you are vocal about not wanting Iran to be bombed, or like when I post on my story that, like, hey, we need to start. We need to stop bombing my hometown. Like, my friends from Iran, like, reply to my stories and they're like, not all of them, clearly, but some of them, like, you're a leftist, blah, blah, blah, we want freedom. You are spreading propaganda. And I'm like, no, I'm not, actually.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Okay, yeah, well, it's, it's. It remind me. It's. It's like the, the Venezuela thing where like, essentially, yeah, it's like a Venezuela thing where like, you know, Trump went in and just like was like, let's just go in there and like shit up or whatever. And they like. It was like some people in Venezuela, like it's a double edged sword because we don't want, you know, like, you know, they freed us from the regime, but also like, what the fuck can they just like do whatever. Can Americans do whatever they want, you know?

[Gandalf]

Yeah, yeah. So it's conflicting.

[Lyle the Gecko]

They killed the guy though. So what's. Who's that guy? What's.

[Gandalf]

They killed the guy.

[Lyle the Gecko]

What's the guy's deal?

[Gandalf]

So in. I believe it was in the early 70s. Don't quote me, I'm not very great at history. The shah which was the king of Iran was overthrown by the sky, named Khomeini. And he kind of named himself the supreme leader. So we have a supreme leader and then we have presidents and then all the other stuff. And then when he died, he put this other guy in charge called Khamenei, which is different person, similar name. And then this guy was a supreme leader until they killed him. And then Iran and they put another supreme leader in place and he was dead within the day. Like he got like he was in place in the morning and they killed him by 3pm which was so funny to me. And then they put the hominy guy's son in charge. So he's in charge now and. Yeah, we have a new person in charge.

[Lyle the Gecko]

And do people like not better person?

[Gandalf]

No, no, no. No one likes any of these people.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Yeah, I guess it's not. Yeah, I mean it is kind of like ridiculous to assume that like just because like you get rid of the person atop that like they're not just gonna. And like they're immediately gonna be replaced with like someone who's like, you know what, let's just like be chill.

[Gandalf]

Right?

[Lyle the Gecko]

But that's so cr. Like the idea of like it is crazy. The idea that like the government, like the government is just like sending armies to just like slaughter citizens in the streets, like that's insane.

[Gandalf]

Let me tell you a story. So my mom has this friend and one day my mom calls me and she's like my friend's son who's 15 years old was in a park with 25 of his classmates. So 25, 15 year old boys. And they were in this park and they start like chanting anti regime stuff and this truck with a machine gun on the back drives by and kills all fucking 25 of them. I know, I know. Trigger warning. Too late.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Oh my God.

[Gandalf]

Yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Jesus is horrible. When was that?

[Gandalf]

This is like in January.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Jesus Christ. It's so. Because like I. Because also like it's so awful because I mean you go to like when I went to Iraq, it was like this is just. This. It was like they just ran. Like it is true. Like it's just random fucking. Like, like everyone. Like those also like those kids like being 15 and like shouting like anti regime stuff. It's like you. I don't even know. I mean, maybe I'm not giving 15 year olds enough credit, but it's like they're just like, they're not. They're not even like they're just like being kids. They're just like.

[Gandalf]

Yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Being rowdy.

[Gandalf]

They're just being kids.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Just being kids. That's so fucking crazy. Damn.

[Gandalf]

I know. It's pretty crazy. It's. Yeah. So, you know, it's kind of a lot to sit with and process, but

[Lyle the Gecko]

do you want to talk about the. This, this older guy? I have your list in front of me.

[Gandalf]

I can talk about the older guy.

[Liberty Mutual Ad Voice]

Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance. And now we're customizing this rush hour ad to keep you calm, which could help your driving. And science says therapy is great for a healthy mindset. So enjoy this 14 second session on us. I think you've done everything right and absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, anything that hasn't gone your way could probably be blamed on your father not being emotionally available because his father wasn't emotionally available and so on. And now that you're calm and healing, you're probably driving better too.

[Gandalf]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. So I am. It's strange. I am just simply not attracted to men who are not twice my age, essentially. Like, how old are you? A boy? I'm 21, Geck. Yeah, I'm 21. But it's like I can see a boy in his 20s and I can. And I can appreciate like, oh yeah, you're. You're a handsome young man. Right? And then as soon as they start talking to me, I'm like, please stop. Please don't talk to me at all. Like all my. All my. All my friends who are my age are girls. And most of my friends are pretty, like quite a bit older than me, like 35 to 45 years old. And even they're mostly women. I just. Yeah, Yeah, I just don't super get along with men. But anyway, yeah, I was into this guy who was 42 at the time. I was 20 at the time. And we worked together, and we are hanging out with a lot of the same people because, again, my friends are usually older than me, and we start hanging out. He's clearly into me, I'm clearly into him. We end up having sex, and then we're still hanging out and being friends and being in these spaces with all these people. And then we start kind of having sex regularly, and we start hanging out with each other more. And I do seasonal work. I'm a snowboard instructor. And after the season ended, we kept hanging out. And it was kind of a. It was kind of a friends with benefits situation, but it was pretty exclusive. I mean, we were also with other people, but it was kind of, like, communicated. I was with. Anyway, I was being a little bit more. I was just seeing more people than he was, really. But then at some point, I wanted to kind of close it up. You know, I catch feelings for this guy because I'm 21, and he agrees to be in a relationship with me. And like, a week after the. Like, we were like, okay, we're in a relationship. He picks me up one day, and he's 20 minutes late to picking me up, which is very odd because he's always on time. But I didn't question it because, you know, sometimes it happens. He picks me up and we go and we hang out with our friends. And then as we're driving back home, he's like, by the way, I had a random hookup today. I was like, what are you talking about? What random hookup did you have? And he's like, I was ubering this morning because he used to uber whenever he wasn't, like, working. And I picked up this woman and we hooked up. And I was like, are you kidding me? Well, this is the whole story, okay? This is what happened that I didn't know. He picks up this woman, right? This woman. Apparently, this woman asks him out to breakfast. They go have breakfast. They go back to his house. By the way, his house is like. It's two separate units. And the upstairs unit, he rents out as an Airbnb. And then the downstairs unit, he was renovating it.

[Lyle the Gecko]

But wait, at the time, he picks up a woman in. In Uber and then takes her to his house?

[Gandalf]

Listen, listen. The downstairs unit was being renovated, and at the time, it was still a garage. Like, you could still clearly tell that this is a garage. So he takes her to his garage, and this woman goes. And then they have sex. And then this woman is like, my car is impounded or whatever. Can you take me to go grab my car or, I don't know, some like that. I wasn't there.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Did he. Did he. Did he keep the meter on the whole time?

[Gandalf]

I hope so. I hope so. Well, I guess she was paying him in other ways. But anyway, he takes her to get her car situation, whatever, and then takes her back home for a second time. And this lady sleeps for four hours in this random man's garage. Like, I. I don't know about the general public. I, as a woman, wouldn't trust to go into someone's garage and have sex with them, but then to nap there for four hours, you know, like that. That can't be smart or safe to do generally. And then he goes to drive her home, which is why he was 20 minutes late to picking me up. And the fucked up part is that when she was sleeping in the bed that I was sleeping in, like, two days ago, he calls me and he's talking to me as if he had a totally normal day while this chick is sleeping there. And I'm like, oh.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Oh.

[Gandalf]

You know, that's pretty gross. And you know what the grossest part is? Let me tell you this, okay? When he and I were hanging out before he told me, he gives me a kiss, and I kind of just look at him for a second, and I'm like, you smell off. And he's like, I didn't brush my teeth. And I was like, I don't know, man. I wake up next to you quite frequently. Like, I know what it smells like when you don't brush your teeth. This man, straight up, smelled like coochie. Like, I could literally smell this woman on his breast. And it was.

[Lyle the Gecko]

It. What. What is it where you're. Why do you think you only want to go out with guys who are twice your age? Like, what is that?

[Gandalf]

I don't know what it is, man. I really don't. I think it's kind of. Well, it's the perspective. I'm just a little freaky and. I don't know, I guess it's. I like it when people are a little bit more settled into the person that they are.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Oh, sure.

[Gandalf]

You know, because I feel like I'm like that. Yes. I'm 21, and I have a lot of change to go through, but I think I've always had a pretty strong sense of self, and I'm attracted to that and people. And that just happens to be people who are a little bit older.

[Lyle the Gecko]

So you feel like you do. You feel you're 21. Okay, so, like, have You. Do you feel like you've changed at all since you were.

[Gandalf]

Of course. Yeah. Yeah, of course. I think that, in essence, I'm the same person. I think I love the same things, and I have the same values, but I think that my outlook has changed, especially. Here's another story that I'm not going to get deep into because it's a. It's a long one, and I don't like to dwell on it too much, but I was engaged to this guy who was, again, older than me. This was not like an arranged thing. This. Yeah, it's not an arranged saying. My parents actually hated him. And then, like, two weeks before my wedding, I find out that he was married already.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Whoa. How. What's the. What's the plan there? What the hell? What's the plan Having.

[Gandalf]

I didn't ask too many questions. I didn't ask too many questions, to be honest with you. Like, I kind of was like, all right, well, bye. You know, I kind of just left the country.

[Lyle the Gecko]

That's crazy. This was in Iran.

[Gandalf]

Mm.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Is that.

[Gandalf]

Yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Okay. This is an ignorant question, but I'm gonna ask it. Is that, like, a thing there?

[Gandalf]

Like, dating older?

[Lyle the Gecko]

No, like having multiple wives.

[Gandalf]

I mean, by law, you can have multiple wives, but it's not like you can just go about it willy nilly. Like, there's a whole legal process for it, and, like, you have to consent and all of that. But it's not practiced. No, it's not practice. It's just there are a lot of things that are law but aren't practice. Like, alcohol is illegal. Weed is illegal. But, you know, premarital sex is illegal. But in a. I like to say in a world where everything is illegal, nothing is.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Yeah.

[Gandalf]

Very much accessible.

[Lyle the Gecko]

When I was in Iraq, I kind of. I couldn't tell what the deal was with alcohol because, like, you could, like. Because, like, people drink, but, like, you can't, like, go into a store and buy it anywhere.

[Gandalf]

Yeah, yeah. I have maybe 50 contacts. Not exaggerating in my phone, whose job is to bring me whatever my heart may desire. And, like, if the. If person number one is an hour away, person number two will be 20 minutes away.

[Lyle the Gecko]

If you get caught with alcohol, do they. Do you get in trouble?

[Gandalf]

I mean, again, by law, you're supposed to get in trouble, but bribery is very common. So you either bribe them with money or you, like, just give them a bottle. Like, I was. I was driving with one of my friends one day, and this was a new friend, and he happened to be in the business of selling marijuana. And one day the cops pull us over and they stick their head in the car and they're like, it smells like weed in here. And homeboy tells me to open up his glove box and I open it up and just, big ass bag of weed just plops down, like, big ass bag of weed. And he literally just hands it to them and they're like, have a good day.

[Lyle the Gecko]

What's your name again?

[Gandalf]

My name is Gandham.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Gandham.

[Gandalf]

Yeah. But anyway, that's not even the cheating that led me to after he cheated on me. We're talking about the current guy. After he cheated on me. He really was insistent of keeping me around, and I was like, hey, man, we're going to be working together this weekend. Not weekend, sorry, this winter. And I'm going to be seeing you, and it's going to be really hard for me to be around you unless you give me some space so that I can process what the fuck has happened. Oh, by the way, the day after I find out about this chick, I call her and I'm like, hey, just so you know, like, not mad at you, this person's in a relationship. And she was like, my gosh, I'm so sorry, blah, blah, blah. And the day after that, she texts him and asks to borrow $40. So, like, at that point, I'm like, like, who are you even cheating on me with? Like, this person is just, like, not to judge her. I don't know who this person is, but also. Come on.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Sorry, I almost called you Gandalf. Can you give me your name again?

[Gandalf]

My name tag at work says Gandalf, so that's also acceptable.

[Lyle the Gecko]

But your name tag of worse says Gandalf. All right, if Gandalf is acceptable, I'll go with Gandalf.

[Gandalf]

Go for it. It's acceptable.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Gandalf. Well, Gandalf, I appreciate you anyway, sharing all this stuff with us.

[Gandalf]

Of course.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Do you feel like you got what you desired out of this phone call? Or do you feel like. Do you feel like you feel like there's anything more that you wanted to talk through?

[Gandalf]

You know, there's so much more. But also, you know, no matter how much I go on, there will always be more.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Of course.

[Gandalf]

So, yeah,

[Lyle the Gecko]

Gandalf, I think, you know, I get why you don't like people. I get why you don't like people.

[Gandalf]

Right.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Also. But you do. I assume you texted me because you listen to the podcast.

[Gandalf]

I do, yeah.

[Lyle the Gecko]

I think I. The podcast is about people. I mean, I don't. Well, this podcast is not about, like, liking people necessarily. And I don't think that it's more. But I feel like it's more about observing. It's. It attracts people who are interested in more so observing human thought and behavior rather than, you know, because they love people so much. But I. When you listen to the show, are you. Do you. Do you, like, hate the callers all the time?

[Gandalf]

No, no, not all the time. I mean, there was one guy who I thought had very questionable morals. The Pegasus guy.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Oh, okay. Yeah, there was the most recent one.

[Gandalf]

Yeah, yeah. I was like, okay, man, maybe the problem is within yourself. Anyway, no offense, Drew, you're great, but.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Oh, you remember his damn name.

[Gandalf]

Yeah, it was very. It was interesting. It was an interesting one. That was a fun one.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Gandalf, is there. Is there anything else you want to say to the people of the computer before we go?

[Gandalf]

Be honest with yourself and with the people around you, even if it's scary, because it's kind of sucks to be a deceiving person.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Thank you for calling Gandalf. I'll. I'll see you around the universe.

[Gandalf]

Sounds good. Bye. Bye.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Bye. Bye.

[Liberty Mutual Ad Voice]

Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance. And now we're customizing this rush hour ad to keep you calm, which could help your driving. And science says therapy is great for a healthy mindset. So enjoy this 14 second session on us. I think you've done everything right and absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, anything that hasn't gone your way could probably be blamed on your father not being emotionally available because his father wasn't emotionally available, and so on. And now that you're calm and healing, you're probably driving better, too.

[Gandalf]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Hello, folks. What's going on? It's Lyle the Gecko person guy thing. I just woke up. I'm a little sleepy. I'm a bit of a sleepy guy. And I'm gonna roll with it. I'm not gonna judge it. I'm not gonna fight it. I'm gonna be a. I'm gonna dive into the sleepiness. I'm gonna call this a sleepy Geck mail. Okay. This is Geck mail, by the way. This is a segment of the podcast where I read viewer mail that people have sent me to the email address therapygeckomailmail.com. these are. These are real emails from real people. Probably. They could be bots, but I don't think they are. I think these are real people. I hope they're real people. I'm actually. You know what? I'm A hundred percent sure that they're real people. Except for. Except for this one right here which says there's a new login to your. To your X account on Mac. That's not a real person. I don't think a person physically typed that email. Your Google password has changed. That's not a real person. But then. But other than that, these are all emails from real people. I'll read one or two, maybe three. Probably one or two. Maybe three. Usually when you say maybe, when you say maybe, it's usually like 70% that it's a yes. This is an actual maybe. There needs to be a word between no and maybe that means closer to no than it does to yes. Because when someone says maybe, you kind of. They kind of lean towards yes. Right? A maybe is usually close to a prob. Maybe and probably are too similar. Probably is closer to yes than maybe. But once. What's. What's the probably of no? Probably is the maybe of yes. But I want the whatever the problem. Whatever the maybe of no is, is the chance that I'll read a third Geck mail. I'm going to dive into the sleepiness. I'm going to see where it takes me. Well, anyway, okay, yeah, these are gecko. These are emails that I'm going to read. If you want to send a Geck mail, you can send one to therapy. Gecko mail mail dot com. But otherwise let's. Let's read. Let's read some Geck mails. Okay. This is from Madison, subject line Limerence sucks balls. Just wanted to start by saying how big of a fan I am of the podcast. I started casually listening to you around the beginning of COVID I really got roped into being a regular listener when that guy called in to talk about train hopping across the states. Shout out to our train hopping homie. Anyway, I wanted to talk about how painful limerence is. Idk if you've ever experienced this yourself, but it's super painful and draining. I've been dealing with it since I was a child. Apparently it can be caused by autism or childhood trauma. I've been in a long term relationship for the past few years, but I haven't been happy since the first year. We have lived together for a couple of years now. We broke up briefly last November, but we ended up getting back together. It's complicated because he's my best friend and I love him deeply, but I'm not in love with him. This seems to be a consistent problem in my relationships where I confuse deep love for romantic love. Interesting. Deep love and romantic love. I'm not sure if I fully understand the difference. Maybe she explains it. I have developed limerence for other people three times throughout this relationship and I feel like a horrible person. I haven't cheated on him, but I developed feelings for other people in a way that I feel it. I don't fully understand why I don't feel romantic or physical attraction to him because he's a really cool person. Okay. Deep love is like. Okay. Romantic love seems like it's. Yes. Romantic love by this person's definition is more about. Sort of physical attraction. It seems. Pheromones and what have you. I've realized I need to stop settling for people and that I have some issues I need to work on in therapy. I will be ending my relationship soon out of respect for him. He deserves to be fully loved by someone and I no longer want to waste his or my time. I am going to be 30 this year and it's time to get my shit together. I will likely be crashing on my brother's couch because I have nowhere else to go. The cost of living is absolutely fried in Ontario, so I can't afford my own place. I haven't talked to my mom in a few years. My dad is not really around very often or able to help me. I am very thankful to have my brother at least as well as some amazing friends. But I feel alone. I feel scared. But I know it's the right thing to do. My life is gonna be challenging soon as I am also currently working part time and doing a trades program to hopefully get a better job. So wish me good luck. Good luck. I am hoping to grow as a person from this whole experience. I don't think there's really any advice you can give me, but I just want to rant about this. Sorry if that was a hard read. I have raging adhd. Thanks for reading. By the way, I will be coming to your Toronto show later this year. Thank you, Madison. I'm pretty stoked. Love you, Geck. Madison, I don't really have. Well, I don't. I don't really have advice a lot. A lot of reading these emails is a little bit more about pondering than it is about advice, I suppose. But I don't. I don't think you should feel like a horrible person. I mean, I think you did the right thing by breaking up with this person because. And by the way, I saw. I empathize with that feeling. I think. I think that's a common feeling that people have where they feel A strong. Connection with someone and a deep love for them. But yes, not a. Like someone. They're like, I'm not that physically attracted to you or romantically attracted to you, but I feel a deep love for you is a common feeling that I think people have, because I think people. I think love is a very complicated thing and that it kind of comes from a lot of different places in the gut. And ideally, I don't know. I'm. No, I'm truly not a relationship expert by any means, but I don't know. Love is weird. Like, you feel it in many different places. You feel it in your heart, your brain, your balls, girl balls, boy balls, whatever you got. You feel it sometimes in different. Sometimes you feel it in certain parts of your body, sometimes you feel another parts of your body, but you don't feel it in other parts of your body. You know what I'm saying? But. You have to kind of decide. That's. I think the thing is, you have to kind of decide, like, do I feel it enough in enough of my body and the parts of my body that I want to feel it in to be in a relationship? And it sounded. It sounds like you didn't, and so. And so you let him go. But you're developing feelings for other people. You don't think you have to feel like a horrible person. I mean, I think you did good. You did the right thing. So, you know. But the fact that you have the capacity to develop these feelings for these other people means that you are. It means that you are capable of feeling these feelings, which is a good sign. So I think that there is hope for you in the romantic realm of. Of your life to find someone that you can have a ragingly good life with. Sorry, I'm staring at the word raging. I feel like the only time I hear rage, usually you said. You said I got raging adhd. Usually the last. The last time I hear the word raging, it's usually like a raging boner. That's not. That's not me trying to be funny. That's just saying every thought that comes to my head. I'll see you at the Toronto show. I'm excited for that. That'll be good. You're doing a trades program? What kind of trade? When someone says they're doing a trade program, they mean. They usually mean like plumbing or electric or something. They never, never. Now they're like trading things. You know what I mean? That's not what that means. This person has a hotmail email address. Probably shouldn't say That. I mean, it doesn't really matter. I don't think that's an identifying detail. Do they still do Hotmail? I'm gonna go to Hotmail. What happens if you go to hotmail.com? So what happens if you go to hotmail.com? let's find out. Are they still doing Hotmail? Okay. It takes you to Outlook. Okay. Outlook is the same thing as Hotmail. Let's do one more. Okay. The maybe. That's why I needed a maybe that leans towards no. That's why I needed a maybe that leans towards no. Because I. I had a feeling. Okay, let's do one more. This is from Chris. Subject line, just hello. That's what enticed me about this email is that it kind of gave itself away in the subject. We knew. We knew from the start what we were getting into. Great. Gecko, how's it going? Love the episode with Papa Gecko. Hold on. My. I have my. My alarm going off. Let me. I don't know. I don't know what I set that alarm for. I think I set that alarm for me to do this, but I'm already doing it, so hold on. Okay. All right, we're good. Great. Gecko, how's it going? Love the episode with Papa Gecko. Shout out to my dad. Man, what a great guy he is. What a great dad he must have been for you. He's a great dad. Look, I'm always looking over the fence, seeing if grass is any greener anywhere. Oh, looking over the fence. That's a good expression for that. I see. What? That. I see what you mean. I see what you did there. I like that. I'm also learning to be happy with what I have. I keep seeing things on the Internet of people with really well organized shops that are DIY kind of dudes. I'm really jealous because my garage doesn't look like theirs and they're handy and I'm not. Hey, Geck. Just finished the episode. What? Okay. This is. Okay, you didn't. Okay. Huh? Okay. Okay. They said, hey, Geck again, but they. There is new information. They didn't just copy and paste the email twice. Okay, I'm gonna read it as. I'm gonna fix this email for you guys. It says, hey, Geck. Okay. Okay. Also, instead of Hey, G. Sorry. I know this is. I'm being confusing right now. Okay. I'm jealous because my garage doesn't look like theirs and they're handy and I'm not. I also just finished the episode where the caller was talking about Having an affair with her ex while married. First off, I'm glad you were able to help her see things clearly. I remember her. I'm having trouble with understanding why people are so quick to give up on their partners. Granted, there were some certain circumstances for her family being the biggest issue. It sounded like I don't like the thought of my wife just not liking me anymore or wanting to cheat for a little to get back. Help me understand why you went straight to dump your husband and live life. Why not try to work on it? Kids in early generations are going to be messed up because moms and Dan. Moms and dads just quit marriage when it gets hard. Thanks. Sorry for the long email. Chris. It is true. I think people in, in this generation give up on relationships more than the previous generation. I don't. I mean, and there's a, the why, I mean our generation has more optionality ultimately I think is why. You know, I mean like there's a. Whether we just have more information, we have more knowledge of or perceived knowledge, I guess of what's out there. But it is a tough thing because you, you ultimately are always going to find like what, like if you have a, if you're in a thing and it has problems, you're just going to jump into another thing that also has problems. So it's really just about which problems you feel like you can stomach. You know, I think if you just don't like someone anymore, should you stay in a relationship with that person? Probably not. I think liking someone is a, it's kind of a bare minimum reason to be with them. You know, Looking over the fence, seeing if the grass is greener anywhere. That's another thing. Some people are also always looking over the fence. I like that I'm gonna be thinking about that over the fence. I look over the fence sometimes. Sometimes I'm like, oh, not, not. Well, actually you're looking at garages. So you're looking into the garage more than over the fence. Do I? Yeah, I don't know. I guess that's why, that's why, you know, people, people do that. Is it, should you try to work on this? I, I, I don't think, I don't think, I don't believe in like, oh, you should always stay in a relationship that's making you unhappy. But I do think you should, people should recognize, I don't think, I think people should recognize that there will always be some sort of problem. You know, I think if you're looking for something perfect, you're. It's not, it's not gonna exist. Right? Like there's always gonna be problems. I think maybe, maybe that, I think that's the problem with younger generations more than it is that they're always leaving is it's that they maybe don't recognize is that you have to like, it's one thing if you come to the decision that you're like, I can't handle these specific problems. But it's another thing to be like, I, I will eventually find a perfect person that's different. You know, you have to abandon that fantasy and, and again, just try to find someone who you can, you can deal with the problems. Thanks for sending this email, Chris. They also wrote thanks. Sorry for the long email. That's a suit. This is a super short email. This is not a long email at all. You don't have to be sorry for anything, Chris. Folks, that was Geck mail again. If you want to send a Geck mail. See, this is why I needed the, not the May, the no, maybe because we're done. We did two Geck mails. But I had fun. I had fun doing these Geck mails. I'm very sleepy. I just got back from Japan. I'm Jack la. I'm jet lagged as hell. I gotta run over to California soon because I'm doing a show in San Diego on May 3rd at American Comedy Company and then another show in Los Angeles on May 6 as part of the Netflix's Joke festival at the Masonic Lodge. If you live in either of those two places, you can get tickets right now at therapy gecko tour.com it'd be great to see you. That's it. I don't have anything else to plug. I did a premiere last night for my Ukraine documentary that was really, that was really fun. We're gonna post the full thing, I believe on Monday. YouTube.com Lyle Forever. I'm going to leave you guys there, but I'll be back on Sunday with another episode of the Therapy Echo podcast. I read every Spotify comment. I'm insane. So hit me up, let me know what's good. Thank you guys. Gek bless Therapy Get Goes on the line, taking your phone calls every night. Therapy Get Goes doing it right, teaching you how to live your life. But he's not really an expert.

[Liberty Mutual Ad Voice]

Liberty Mutual customizes your car and home insurance. And now we're customizing this rush hour ad to keep you calm, which could help your driving. And science says therapy is great for a healthy mindset. So enjoy this 14 second session on us. I think you've done everything right and absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, anything that hasn't gone your way could probably be blamed on your father not being emotionally available because his father wasn't emotionally available, and so on. And now that you're calm and healing, you're probably driving better, too.

[Gandalf]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Lyle the Gecko]

Guaranteed Human.