Alison: Enough having fun.

It's time to work.

Matt: Enough fun time.

Hi, Alison.

Hi Alison.

Alison: So abrupt!

Hi Matt.

Is this it?

Are we doing it?

Matt: This is it.

We're recording.

We're back.

Alison: We're back for season two?

Uh, does that make this ADHd20:
Season Two Electric Boogaloo?

Matt: Oh, yes, it does.

Alison: Remember when I was
like, Hey Matt, I think we

should take like a season break.

We were like, that's so long.

It's so far away.

I don't know what happened
to November and December.

It like gone.

Like, where, where, how, why.

Yesterday, Fitz, there's our, there's our
first Fitz, uh, mention of the season.

Matt: I know.

Alison: 37 seconds in, uh, Fitz referenced
something from a game session from

September and I was like, absolutely not.

That happened last week.

So I don't know what happened to the
back quarter of 2022, but here we are.

2023.

Matt: So, so fast.

The whole holiday season
was a buh-buh-buh-blur.

And I know what it is for most people.

I know that it is for
everybody, but still.

Some just comes at you
like a punch in the face.

Um, but it was fun.

It was good.

It was a necessary break.

I, I, I know how your holiday went
because we've talked about it, because

we talk to each other almost every day.

So, we're, you know, we can just kind
of like say we had good holidays.

Alison: We did!

Matt: Some point, even surprisingly good.

Um, always exhausting, but…

Alison: Mm-hmm.

Matt: Surprisingly good.

Alison: Surprisingly good.

Uh, certain parts were emotionally
exhausting for sure, but also to see

people I don't get to see all the
time to spend multiple days in the

presence of others that, you know,
is only a once or twice a year feat.

Um, I did joke with you and, and
Evan as we were doing the initial

catch up, that my Christmas was
boring for maybe the first time ever.

And that's not, that's not a slight,
that's praise if I've ever given it.

That, that I've become so
comfortable with my family that

we could just be in each other's

Matt: Yeah.

Alison: Without any argument,
drama, or otherwise.

And just do things like, I read
a book, I started American Gods.

I watched, I did.

I really, really did like
a, a, a physical book.

This wasn't something that
I, on a whim downloaded from

the library app from my iPad.

This is something I carried with me
with the purpose and intent of reading.

Um, I still have a long way to go.

It's not, you know, a short
book, but enjoyable for sure.

So, yeah, it…

Matt: Mm.

Oh my goodness.

Very interesting.

So I'm super psyched because for
Christmas my brother gave me the new

updated rebooted Dragonlance campaign,
world adventure or what have you.

And I haven't finished
reading it yet, but it just

Alison: Uh, could I just, could I just
let my newbie show for a second, for like

the first month or so when everybody was
getting ready for the, I don't know, is

it release or re-release of Dragonlance?

I, I, that's how new I am.

I really thought that all of you
were saying Dragon Lands, L-A-N-D-S.

It wasn't

Matt: That makes…

Alison: Until I saw it like,
available on D&D Beyond.

Oh, it's

Matt: Dragon Lance.

Lance.

Alison: Is important.

Everybody.

Matt: Yeah.

It's funny, it's still unique as
a setting, a campaign setting, I

think, to what is currently out
there, which we, you know, we've got

Faerun, which is sort of the default.

Alison: Mm-hmm.

Matt: 5e Dungeons and Dragons World.

Um, then you've got, Barovia, so
you know, Curse of Strahd and all

that, which is very, very different.

And then you've started playing in the new
reboot of Spelljammers, um, which is fun.

And Exandria of course, but like, yeah.

Alison: yep.

Uh, interestingly enough
about that, the Spelljammer.

We started in Faerun as kind of
our blast off point, and then

now, now we are space pirates.

Uh, so I think one of the last D 100
roles I got of season one, was what's

the next character that you'll build?

And I have since built that character.

I am now playing, uh, an echo
night, and I'm mad at myself for

sleeping on fighter all this time.

You heard it here first.

Alison can have fun, not as a caster.

Matt: Mm-hmm.

Alison: So that's cool.

That's a big change since last we spoke.

Matt: I believe I've said it before
on this podcast that the fighter

is one of the more underrated

Alison: Mm-hmm.

Matt: classes of 5e.

I think there are some that have been
made not as fun, and I think Fighter

was definitely made to be super fun.

For like one of the
originals, like the original.

Original.

So.

Alison: Before we get too deep
into all of the nerd topics

we have, should we roll on our

Matt: I was gonna say, speaking
of the roll, ADHd100 table

Alison: It's time.

Our first rolls of 2023, Season Two.

Matt: A

Alison: They see me rolling.

They hatin'.

Actually, I'm not hating, I'm loving.

Matt: Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Okay.

Who wants to go first?

Alison: You go.

You tell me your question.

Or your number.

Matt: I rolled a 65.

Alison: I'm like desperately trying to not
look at the screen and see my question.

I'd like it to be a surprise.

Uh, if you could live in any fantasy
location, where would you choose?

Matt: It's, that's amazing that
we were just talking about.

I'm, I'm assuming it's kind of
based on fantasy location as like,

do you want to keep it to 5e?

Alison: You could go live in
like the Shire and be a Hobbit.

If, if that's what Yeah,
like any, anything.

In our current version of reality,
we don't know what really exists

out there in the multiverse.

So talk to us about where you'd go, what
you'd do, who you'd see, what you'd know.

Matt: Dang.

Um,

So it, it would definitely be in
the Eberron ish, uh, Arcane milieu.

Arcane you know, The Netflix show
based on a really, whatever video

game, but a gorgeous freaking show,
uh, that I, that I've watched twice.

Uh, just that combination of magic
and technology is so, so, sexy.

Uh, so sexy, so ding, ding,

Alison: Ding dang Sexy!

Matt: That combination of magic and
technology is so ding dang, sexy to

me that, um, that's what I would do.

I think like a, a techno
magic world is where I want.

Alison: I see

Matt: Mm-hmm.

Alison: I I approve of
your very personal answer.

What?

What?

Come on,

Matt: Yeah.

Okay, great.

How about you?

What'd you roll?

Alison: Uh, 26.

Matt: Oh wow.

If you could trade an existing personality
trait or quirk for a different one, what's

getting tossed and what's coming in?

Alison: Mm.

Damn.

Matt: I know

Alison: This must be a Fitz question.

Um.

I could, there are so many facets of my
personality that like shouldn't be part

of my personality that I have made, right.

Like loving pineapple or glitter
or, Dungeons and Dragons.

Matt: Right?

Yeah.

Alison: Um, so I'll, I'll
toss those out and kind of go

to core Alison for a second.

I, I

Matt: Let's just go
core, hardcore, Alison.

Hardcore.

Alison: I'm assuming it doesn't have
to be like a one for one, right?

Like, it's not that I would toss
being messy for being tidy, but like

I could just pick anything that's not
something I'm totally settled with.

Right?

Matt: Yeah.

Alison: So I think, I think
I'm not a very patient person.

I think that I get, you know, a little
wigged out when things aren't moving at

the pace that I would like, you know,
so that maybe, maybe we could zoom out

even more the control aspect of it.

I want to control the cadence and pace of
it all, but we'll boil that into patience.

So I'll, kick that out.

And I would like to be more, not totally,
not totally, but more minimalist.

I, I have too much stuff.

I have too much stuff in my head.

I have too much stuff in my
life, and I think that I would

Matt: Amen, sis.

Alison: like to not feel the need to
have all of that, uh, and just be,

you know, like see surfaces and like,
not feel the need to buy everything

when I go to the grocery store.

You know?

That must be nice.

What's that like?

Matt: I don't know.

I don't know.

I will say this though, that after
a multi-year, uh, hipster focus on

minimalism, that the, that the YouTube
sphere has kind of been dallying with,

we're now seeing a return to Maximalism.

Alison: No.

Matt: So just when we wanna be
minimalists, everyone's like,

go Baroque and I Oh, that.

Well, that.

works.

Go baroque.

Alison: How hipster of us to
be fighting against that grain.

Matt: Yeah.

You know it.

That's true.

Alison: I want less.

I want less to do.

I want less to think about.

I want less to manage.

I want, there are certain areas
of my life in which I certainly

want abundance, but stuff,

Matt: Mm-hmm.

Alison: Stuff.

And even like, I mean I, I think one
thing I have done a really good job

of in the last year is, clearing my
calendar and not feeling the need to fill

every second of every day with stuff.

So I would like that to see that
translate now into my physical realm.

Matt: I hear you.

I hear you.

We had a, we had a chat last week
about, we kind of eased into the

new year and the new work world, and
we were like, wow, that's so nice.

I think we should try to hold
onto that as long as we can.

Alison: Yeah.

What other kind topics do you like?

Matt: What other kind
of topics do you like?

Well, we had a fear, which is
understandable, that, we, we might

be rolling on this D 100 table and we
might eventually hit, you know, a, a

point where we have, we don't wanna
repeat a question, but our, you know,

object impermanent memories, mean that
we could very easily just answer the

same question twice and not know it.

But luckily for us, we now
have an official lore keeper,

Alison: Yes, we do.

Matt: Uh, whose name is Fitz.

And, what the bleeeeep is a lore keeper?

Alison: Well, Matt,

Matt: That wasn't quite as smooth
as I was hoping it was gonna be.

We'll edit it Yeah.

Alison.

Oh, we won't.

Alison.

Alison.

Hey Alison.

What the is a lore keeper?

Alison: I would love to tell you
Matt, um, this is actually it's,

this is a funny conversation coming
off the, the heels of talking about

our sometimes lack of organization
and accumulation of too much stuff.

So, you know, in the, in the role playing
game world, a lore keeper is someone

who is either forced at sword point by
their own party or just has a natural

knack, for organizing thoughts and notes.

Because as at least the two of
us can attest to many of these

campaigns go on for years.

So how are you gonna remember the
stuff that's happening now, you

know, with the stuff that happened
last week, last month, last year?

And so a lore keeper tends to step in and
hold the keys to the history files of him

in any given campaign or database, right?

And we're learning that
we aren't gonna do it.

So we had to ask one of our best
friends to come do it for us.

And so Fitz and I did some traveling
together over Christmas and we

were talking about my gotta pause.

Gotta pause for effect.

Matt: Okay.

I'll stop.

I'll stop.

Okay.

Alison: Don't you dare.

We were talking about how, yeah, we
need to start for a couple of reasons.

One, so we don't repeat
questions like a bunch of boobs.

Matt: Yeah.

Alison: But two, because there are other
questions waiting in the wings and they

deserve spot on the ADHD 100, table too.

Um, and I was like, I, I guess, I guess I
gotta go back through and like listen to

our old episodes and do write-ups and take
notes and mark things off on the table.

And Fitz was like, oh, can I do that?

I mean, she is our number one fan, so,
you know, it, it felt like a natural fit.

Matt: proclaimed.

Yes, for sure.

Alison: Yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Her words, not mine.

Uh, so yeah, so we said, great.

You wanna be our lore keeper.

And so it's official now.

It is.

It is.

Podcast official.

Matt: So great.

It's funny because I was just on, just
taking a walk because the sun just came

out in Chicago after like 50,000 days.

And I was talking to Lindsay about just
thing things, , and we, I was talking

about neuro, uh, divergent brains, right?

Alison: Neuro spicy.

Neuro spicy Brains.

Matt: That's right.

That's right.

There's a new, there's a new description
of what's happening to our brains, y'all.

Uh, I need to give credit
where credit's due.

Our friend Sarah Mason Walden
has the new word, uh, for 2023

to describe those with a neuro
divergent brain, neurodiverse brain.

And that is neuro spicy.

It's here to stay.

So, my wife and I were on a walk
talking about neuro spicy brains.

That is amazing.

I haven't used it in the world.

I haven't used it in IRL.

Uh, that's pretty funny.

That's great.

Okay.

Neuro spicy.

We were talking about neuro
spicy brains and somehow it.

The difference between how Fitz, uh, you
know, is, is the lore keeper and how I

have to actually go to Fitz's lore keeping
in order for me to do my job as a game

master because I am not as organized.

And so I will say, I will say things
off the top of my head, not make a

note of it, like a major non-player
character that we're gonna run

into no idea what their name was.

Thank the sweet Lord above for Fitz.

But what I was saying was that in
both of our neuro spicy brains,

hers, OCD, mine, ADHD, there are
some interesting similarities.

So maybe, maybe this year we have the
lore keeper on the podcast to explain

those similarities and differences.

That's, that is a goal
that I think should happen.

So yes.

Yay.

For lore keeping and Fitz.

Welcome.

Alison: I mean, it's always been official,
but now it's just official with a title.

Matt: Yeah, exactly.

So what are we talking about today?

This is the time, January 10
that we were recording this.

People are still kind of in the,
the thick of their, resoluting

and goal planning and stuff.

So we figured maybe we should give
this episode kind of that bent of like

New Year, always same old bullshit.

It has like, you know, every new thing,
a new year, a new month, a new week has

the possibility of this little bit of
dopamine that kind of makes you excited.

Well, I have another chance.

Anything can happen today, right?

Or anything could happen this year.

And so I know that everyone
kind of is reeling from that.

It's a joke, of course.

You know, when you make a resolution and
you can't keep up with it, then you beat

yourself up a few months later and we're
we're saying we don't want to do that.

So what do we, what do we do?

Alison: Let me tell you the fundamental
problem that I have with resolutions,

and even before I went full woo at the
end of last year, I've always, I've,

I ha I've been, I've been full, woo
um, I come up with a word and that is

just kind of my, my beacon throughout
to like, is this how I'm feeling?

My problem fundamentally with
resolutions is that they do what

I don't like, which is they focus
on where you're lacking, right?

Correct me if I'm wrong,
and weigh in here.

Always feel like, oh, I wanna get outta
debt, or I want to lose 20 pounds.

Or I, they're always these things
we find wrong with ourselves, and

I just want myself and everybody
I'm around to reframe that.

So it's okay to wanna get healthier,
and it's okay to have a plan to build up

your finances to a place of abundance.

But let's do that by
focusing on what we want.

I want to be able to run a 10 minute mile.

I want to have $10,000 at all
times in my savings account.

I want to have a thousand people
consistently listening to my podcast.

Whatever it is, I want
to focus on the thing.

See, and I said that, and your
sweet little eyes just lit

Matt: Yeah!

Alison: So we, you and I were talking
and I was like, well, I got a word.

I always have a word of the year.

Uh, I think in the past I've
tried to choose words that didn't

align with me, like discipline.

Eh, I'm never gonna be
a disciplined person.

You know, like, let's just,
let's just throw that out.

I can maybe a better, you know,
discipline is what I lack, maybe what

I'm looking for is sustainability.

Like it doesn't have to look the
same every day, but is it sustainable

as opposed to being disciplined?

Um, so I came up with this word
that I realized was one of my, core

values last year, and I decided
I'm gonna apply it to this year.

And that word is magic.

Um, I find it not at all strange
that, uh, we had, you know, Tey on at

some point halfway through last year,
and we talked about why I like D&D

and the, the characters that I play,
and it always centers around magic.

And every single thing that I've been lit
up by in the past few years, it's because

there's been some like spark that feels
bigger than myself and other worldly

and like, I didn't get to control it.

Uh, that feels magic to me.

So, you know, in the sense of
that, I'd want to find the things

that make me light up and go, ha,
that's magic, um, in all that I do.

So that's my word of 2023.

Matt, what say you, you have a
different, you don't say words, you

Matt: Yeah.

I, I like the, I do really like words
too, and I feel like I'm inspired to

come up with some words similarly,
but I also like the concept of themes.

And again, these are not things
that we've invented, the internet

can show you some people who can
explain all of this so much better.

But for me, theme is fun because
it's like word, maybe they're almost

interchangeable, except for me, the theme
is something that can even change halfway.

Right?

Like it's, it could be a quarterly thing,
it could be, it could be a monthly thing,

but it it, it could be a yearly thing.

So I could have really big ones.

Like one thing that I have this year is
play more the, the year of playing more.

That's kind of open.

Alison: You know what,

Matt: Yes.

Alison: Do you know what
my word was last year?

Matt: Play.

Was it?

Aw, I thought it was ease last year.

Alison: Oh, last year was ease
so the year before that then was

Matt: Okay.

Right.

Alison: Play, play, has been,
I think it was, it was, yeah.

Magic, ease, play.

It was synchronicity,
I think the year before

Matt: Those are such good ones.

So, yeah, for, for that, I, I
really, I don't know, themes,

themes feel good to me.

Similarly in, in the way that
I'm not tearing myself down.

But another theme that I did
come up with is, more confidence.

Not that I don't have confidence, but
know, just kind of egging myself on.

It's not coming from a place of
lack, it's that I've discovered,

oh, I don't really give an f.

I'm learning that, oh, I don't
need to be nervous about things.

At the end of last year, I, yeah,
there were some things that I kind

of just like reached out and did and
was like, oh, that's totally easy.

It wasn't, wasn't as hard
as I thought it was.

Um, and, And so for me,
like more, is it confidence?

More, get it more, go more.

What does Evan say?

Shoot the shoot, shoot your shoot.

Get it.

It's not even get or done because
I, I don't wanna stress out about

getting things done this year
the way that I did last time.

I want to just, just do.

Sounds like a Nike commercial.

Alison: Just do it.

Matt: Yeah.

So I, those are, those are two of mines.

And then I, I do want to respect,
I specifically said I wanted

to respect billable hours.

I wanna respect client work more.

I think what I'm saying there is
just find that balance, right?

Like take the balance, find it, because
I, I want to, I want to invite it, right?

Part of my stress of 2022 was that
I was sometimes doing too much

client work and not enough play,
and that's just the way it works.

But if, if I just invite it
in, then there will be more.

Therefore I might, you know, I
could do less because we're a

team and we can help each other.

So those are some things
that I was thinking about.

Alison: I think, uh, it's, I haven't
named it officially as one of my

words, so maybe we'll tie this into the
theme bucket, and it goes along with

that is the notion of sustainability.

We had a lot of high, high peaks and low,
low valleys last year, and the highs feel

great, but man, the psychic damage that
we collectively took on those valleys, And

I just, you know, I can't help but wonder
if there is a way to, sustain so that way

we can just keep going for longer instead
of getting so caught up in all of this.

And I agree with you, like we have a
business, we have to give ourselves to

it and, and work to make it flourish and
make it exactly what we want it to be and

invite in exactly what we're yearning for.

But we have to find that balance
too and say, okay, like I, I'm now

grinding, you know, and that's not good.

Like, metal on metals is
not gonna get us anywhere.

Uh, so now I need to, I need to rest.

And I think one of the things that
I learned more so in past, past year

than any other year before is this
notion that like, we as humans don't

have to earn our rest or our fun.

And I think that there are so many
people out there apologetic about peace,

apologetic about joy, and I just, I
don't wanna do that anymore, you guys.

I wanna like a little toddler just
running unabashedly into the fun and

then taking a nap and not apologizing.

Matt: Right.

Alison: for either of those two

Matt: Yeah.

Alison: Um, so I think, I think magic
coupled with sustain sustainable

sustainability, something around that
notion will be, will be a theme for

Matt: Magic.

Sustainability.

And I'll have one more, which I
think will lead us to our next topic.

Uh, it was, it was one of my,
my goals last year, to build

a community or find community.

Right?

Because I felt like I was
losing one in some ways.

And I wanted a new one.

I wanted my own.

I wanted one closer.

And, so that is a big
word for me this year.

Community.

And I think at the very start
of this year, we just kind

of like sounded the call.

Alison: Nerd Horn.

Matt: Okay, that sounds weird.

What does the nerd horn sound like?

Or this.

Is that the nerd horn or maybe
is it both at the same time?

I don't know the nerd.

We, we sounded the nerd horn.

I'm gonna go with that.

I'm gonna "yes and" your nerd horn.

And I'm gonna say we sounded it and
people came and we went from like

zero to 60 for our Discord, which
it's just such a fun place to be.

Like I, I do actually
have to fight myself.

I need to kind of relax a little bit
when I spend too much time in there.

Cause I wanna just hang out with
people and talk about nerdy things like

TV and books and everybody it is so
interesting, they have such interesting

things to say and it's really fun.

So, um, this is a, an
unapologetic, nerd horn toot.

Alison: Oh, absolutely not.

Matt: Oh, whoops.

Alison: I hate that so

Matt: Yeah, that's, that's, a,
that's a, not even a working title.

That's a not happening title.

Anyway, so

I'm saying right now, however, that
we have a hopping discord, which I'm

gonna pump that up because it's so
fun and it is, um, full of people

that we both know and don't know.

And that's what I want.

I want that this year.

I want to meet new people and, and
hang out with older friends and learn

new things about, like already in this
one week that we've been at Discord,

I learned so much about all these
people that I've known for years.

I'm like, you do what for a living?

What the hell?

What?

So I love that.

I love it.

And that's my word.

Word.

Alison: Yep.

We love, well, and, I wanna toot
our own nerd horn for a second.

Matt: Okay.

Alison: Oh no.

Matt: Yeah.

Oh, yes.

Alison: You know, we, give ourselves
a lot of shit for the thing.

Again, that place of lack, the
things that we don't get done.

And I think that we are especially
prone to do it as people with ADHD

because the universe has told us for so
long, you're lazy, you're unmotivated.

Like all of these things that now that
we are evolved beings who know that it's

not that we're lazy or unmotivated, our
brain is literally working differently.

And I don't like the overuse of
literally, but we have to use it.

There it is.

We are spicy mofos.

Okay.

So I wanna focus more on the things that
we get done in instead of the things

that we don't in that very same spirit.

And I love that we just came out
of the gate swinging this year.

We were like, you know what?

It's time we are, we are ready for
our Nerd Herd or our Revenge of Nerds,

or the Nerd Alert or all of these
different, we're workshopping it

Matt: We're working, we're working on it.

Alison: Okay.

Whatever we're gonna be called
collectively, we just did it.

And we've stopped worrying about
if it was ready or if it was good

enough or if it was organized.

And in fact, I think that's been part
of the delight of the first week of it

has been giving the community some, some
stakes in it, some level of ownership.

Some I don't want them to do the
work for us, but I do wanna know.

Truly, what kind of topics do you like?

What do you wanna see here?

What's, what's your definition of a
thriving really tremendously fun community

and they're giving it to us, man.

I set up a channel called Suggestion
Box, and I instantly, I didn't even

have to tell people to go fill it.

They were, they were in there
with their ideas and ready.

And then every new channel
that I set up, somebody has

something to contribute to it.

And I just think it's so lovely to
find community was one of my core

values that came out in the core
values exercise that I did last year.

And so to watch it play
out IRL man, it's so fun.

I love it so much.

So thank you guys for being a part
of it and keep, keep flowing in.

We, we, we, we want more.

Matt: More, more.

And, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna say thank
you, Alison, because I think that a big

part of this, this new confidence and this
new, we just gotta do it for me, in last

year, which was not my favorite year of my
life, uh, there were some great things and

some okay things, but this podcast was by
far one of the best things of 2022 for me.

It's the example of the thing that
we just do because we wanted to do,

and we have things to talk about.

And, and so yeah, that's, this
podcast kind of is, gave me the

confidence to say, okay, let's go.

So, yay.

Good job.

I'm shaking your hand.

Shake, shake, shake.

Yeah.

What else, what else we got?

I mean, that's a pretty good, that's
a pretty good intro to, to the year.

What else you got?

Alison: I know that the New Year for a
lot of people always brings this, like,

this hope and this renewed optimism.

You know, and I know that we've
all made jokes, especially since

2020 of like, nobody say anything.

We're whispering.

We're, we're not being loud, we're not
saying things like, this is our year.

And I, I get that.

I get, I get why we're all scared.

Matt: Yeah.

Alison: Why we're all hesitant to do that.

And, and the other thing that I now
get is that there's nothing magical

about the first day or the first week
or the, like, we can, we can turn over.

Clean slate.

Any, any old ding dang time we want.

Matt: Yes, exactly.

That's the thing.

That is exactly the thing.

Alison: But I also won't, I won't stop
myself or anybody else from feeling some

renewed sense of optimism, whether it's
driven by the calendar or just the vibe.

Um, and so, so far, so far,
2023, you passing the vibe check.

Matt: Here's, yes.

Here's the thing.

I feel like the last few years,
a couple of them, maybe three

things have happened to us more.

Alison: Mm-hmm.

Matt: Some bad luck, some sad,
experiences, some pandemics, right?

Like things have been happening to us that
add to that the stress of moving forward.

And I think maybe the difference that
I feel this year, at the beginning

of this year, that I didn't really
feel as much last year, uh, that I

almost haven't felt in since 2020.

Oh, the irony.

But like, look at all the stuff I
learned about ADHD just last year.

Like more in one year than
I have in 50 years easily.

And, and what did I learn?

My brain is different.

It's going to act different.

It's going to be different.

I have the choice.

I have choices, right?

I, there's some things I can't change,
but I certainly can make choices.

How do I learn something now that I
have this information in my brain?

How do I, how do I learn it in a
way that I can learn it, right?

How do I overcome the difficulty of, of
this or distraction or focus or whatever.

So what if we just say, Bring
it on, whatever it could be.

Let's not let it distract this.

Like we can, we can still hold little
gems of, of things like this podcast

or, or our community burgeoning,
or friendship or, or playing D&D

together in person or blank, blank.

All the wonderful things.

Like, that's, that's a word in itself.

Just the the hopefulness, the
but, but more than hopefulness.

It's kind of like don't take
your eyes off the prize.

So you've got these words.

I've got themes.

Don't take our eyes off of those
prizes because they're prizes

that we're giving each other.

Wow.

I'm sounding woohoo right now.

Love it.

Alison: You are so woo.

I

Matt: woo.

woo.

Alison: I will leave you
with my parting thought

Matt: Please.

Alison: This was, this was a thought
that I had at some, and I don't remember

exactly where in the year, but when, when
I, when things started to turn around

and change for me, and I started to feel
more in control of myself, my emotions,

my environment, beginning to understand
that exactly what you just said, like,

I can't control the ocean, right?

Like, ocean's gotta ocean.

It's gonna send me waves, it's gonna
send me wind, and there's gonna be

beautiful placid days as well, right?

But when you turn the corner and
realize that things don't happen

to you, they happen for you.

That's where all the magic is, man.

Like, that's where the shit gets real.

And I think that that's
the like, collective

Matt: Right.

Alison: Collective corner that we've
all turned is we're like, you know

what stuff's gonna happen and we're
gonna, we're gonna see what happens.

We're gonna, we're gonna weather
it together and we're gonna, you

know, get out on the deck and pull
out a deck of cards and, and play

a game until the storm passes.

Matt: Mm-hmm.

Alison: So, you know that I think the,
one of those themes that kept coming up

in 2020 was, we're all in the same storm,
but we're not all in the same boat.

Matt: Uhhuh.

Alison: That was, that's something
that people said a lot that You

know, some people are in yachts and
others are in like little rickety

canoes, you know, and we're all in
a hurricane, which is very true.

But damn, I'm proud of not
only the boat I've built, but

like who it's full of right

Matt: Yeah, I am too, man.

I am so proud of the, of
the people in your boat.

You just, man, you kicked
a bunch of people out.

You you murdered a lot of people.

Alison: I did,

Matt: You drowned.

Alison: ruthless

Matt: caused the drowning

of

many

Alison: Wait a minute.

Before this podcast gets taken out of
context, I did not murder any people.

I murdered friendships.

Okay, Yeah.

Let's let that get out.

Alison Kendrick murdered people.

Matt: That's the way we're gonna
end in 2023, uh, in season two.

Okay.

We got weird.

It's time to stop.

Uh, I, I love you very much, Alison.

I'm very excited to be back.

I'm glad we are recording this.

Uh, good job.

Alison: I love you right back.

Thanks for, thanks for letting
me on your podcast, Matt.

Matt: Thank you for, thank
you for being on my podcast.

Alison: Some, some threads have to carry.

Matt: That's fine.

Threads carry.

Um, all right.

Until next week.