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In each episode, host Alex Goldman sets himself on a listener's unsolvable problem

and explores the hidden systems that created that problem in the first place.

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You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey, everybody, it's Mariel.

We're going to start today's episode at the top of a hill with Emma Tempest.

Back when she was a teacher, she would take her class of four and five-year-olds to the park for an end-of-year celebration.

And it was at the top of this enormous hill,

and every year we'd have a rolling down the hill competition,

and all the adults would join in,

because you just had that permission to have fun.

The other part of that celebration was a trip to a mini zoo.

You'd hear the children saying things like,

oh, I wonder what that fish is thinking?

And you'd be like, what?

I've never thought about that before.

That spirit of imagination and wonder,

you can take that with you anywhere,

and it costs nothing.

Emma is now a positive psychology coach

who helps people get unstuck through play.

...