Explore every episode of the podcast First Creatures

Did you ever play games as a kid that didn't require any special equipment or the ability to move around? Games that you could play on endless car trips or while waiting in a long line? Such games were our primary line of defense against boredom back in the days before smartphones. Now that we're adults (adults with smartphones, no less), could it still be beneficial to have a few games like this up our sleeve?

In this episode, Ellen Riccio describes four games and activities you can play inside your head, all by yourself, when you want to get out of your head. These games gently coax you out of your thought loop and into having a conversation with the world.

The games:

(5:45) A Hundred Years From Now

(14:35) The Documentary Game

(20:50) This is Not a Tree

(28:55) A Poem

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Just hanging out with friends. It sounds like something from a bygone era, or like something you did when you were younger. In this episode, Ellen makes a case for doing it now, even (especially) if you are a busy adult saddled with responsibilities. 

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In this episode, Ellen talks about what it means to come to our senses--to gather our senses--and how doing so opens up possibilities for lingering, contemplation, conversation, and more. 

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In this episode, Ellen shares how going for a daily walk--the same one for eight years straight--has become much more than physical exercise. 

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First Creatures is a podcast that provides inspiration and moral support for lingering. But what is lingering, exactly? In this introductory episode, Ellen Riccio gives the surface a good scratch. 

Learn more at firstcreatures.com.