"Unleashing Your Inner Child", a Christmas app. Pure joy! 'tis the Season: "On the third Day...𝅘𝅥𝅯"

Return of Ode, New Joy: "Ode to Joy", one of the most powerful musical scores by Beethoven, the, text of which was based on what German poet Schiller wrote in 1785, a celebratory poem about the unity of mankind. Always timely, maybe more so after I wrote about diplomatic ties, those that help bind, being cut by mutually aggrieved parties...timely, as in how all the major news networks, after bumming us out with whatever calamities of the day throughout the globe they can dig up (crummy weather somewhere, at least), try to lull us into an emotional state just short of joy, in order to sustain viewership the following day (psychologists sometimes refer to this as a "recency effect"; can you imagine if they instead ended each newscast with "...now we're going to recap all the crappy stuff that occurred today...have a good evening"). In any case, I bring you a gift that is not only free but free-ing, one that's always in season, and one that's guaranteed to bring a chuckle or two to all participants. AND one that neither has to be ordered from, nor delivered by, Amazon (unbelievable!).  

Wrap,...app...nap: It's that easy, in that sequence, but there's no rules here as we're talking about our inner child, so if you go out of sequence, no problem, who cares, it's just a recommendation for getting the maximum benefit, enjoyment. You can do this at home or 'out there', you can even do it in your underwear (we're talking inner child, after all...). Any time, all the time, at least the first time, your first attempt. Got your interest, your curiosity piqued, your child-like imagination re-engaged? OK...

Smarty pants, do the dance! So, you've proven that you're smarter than a fifth grader, at least one fifth grader, the one on the show you managed to best, but what about trying to outdo even a younger child, even five years the fifth grader's junior. You've talked the talk, but now, it's almost time to "walk the walk" (literally), in your attempt to emulate a toddler in every way imaginable (their imagination, your energy), by downloading the "Toddler Fitness App"! To date, to my awareness at least, no weary mom, has managed yet to engineer a phone app that enables you to siphon off a bit excess energy from your toddler, who is "blessed with boundless energy" while they are sleeping, defenseless. If she or dad ever comes up with something approximating such an app (it's just a matter of time, I tell all parents I come in contact with..."maybe you'll be the ones!"), not only will they enjoy great wealth but also a degree of popularity among their own age group, in closing the gap on their cherubs who enjoy a great advantage of such "boundless energy"! Short of that, what you have ready access to is the best fitness app that needs no Peloton bike, special shoes, or monthly fee, as it's completely free-ing! There's only one catch, which is trying to literally catch up with your toddler. Or, in the case you don't have one of your own or yours has grown into a lazy teen, no problem, all you have to do is go to the app site, which will evaluate your compatibility, current fitness profile, and provide you with a virtual playmate. After which the only rules are that you (literally, once again) walk their walk, talk their talk, jump their jump...until either they exhaust themselves and go down for a nap, or dinner time, whichever comes first. So, are you game? Warning, spoiler alert: this has been done as a fitness 'experiment' with high school football players who, having thought their coach was tough, found an even tougher match pound-for-pound, step-for-step ("Please, bring back the jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups!"). Assuming you're still up for it, once you've experienced the first rotation of reps, circuits, fitness contraptions that only toddlers can dream up, you'll REALLY be ready for that "...long winter's nap...", followed by guilt free consumption of empty calories!

Here's to the inner child in all of us -- Ode to Joy, Indeed!