LAFOLOT

PSYCHIC SISTER CONNECTION –
August 13, 2009

ANOTHER Helen Psychotic… uh – I mean, PSYCHIC moment:

OK… I just have to share….
It’s another one of my stupid, insignificant but Interesting premonition/psychic moments.

I was just sittin’ and thinkin’ at my computer keyboard this moring…
Looking out my back window ….
Noticing the 3 to 4′ high Locust tree popping up out of the ground…

and, the thought comes to mind… ‘Wonder if I can do one of those BONSAI tree things and keep it miniature, … then the thought left and I got on with my life….

…so, I’m sittin’ and relaxin’ and ‘feeling a craving coming on about Rice… but with a certain flavor…. trying to think how I can get what my body is craving for dinner…

Then, I realize – it’s the craving for Chicken Shahi Korma with Basmati rice from one of my local/favorite restaurants…. Passage to India.

Soooo… I call and let a phone message for my younger sister Ann, at work, to see if she wants to join me.

OK – we both arrive at the Restaurant at 5:30pm….

Ann (my younger sister, says) –
“We (co-workers) were at Rita’s Italian Ice after we had gone for Chinese food at lunch today.”
“One of the guys didn’t like the rice, so I told him he should try Passage to India for the Basmati rice…”
THEN – she tells me – “I went back to my desk and there was your message about going to Passage to India!”

…. she runs back down the aisle to the other analysts and programmers to tell them it was KISMET that they had been talking about it and I had called. She said, THEY SAID: “What the heck does Kismet, mean?”

I digress….

So, we FINISH dinner, and – for some reason – she starts telling me how she and her husband Neil have been talking about different hobbies and interests they want to pursue…
he’s looking into an aquarium for the home or a keyboard …

SHE SAYS…… HERE IT COMES: “I THINK I’D WANT TO START LEARNING THE ART OF THE BONSAI TREE.”

I rest my case… another one of those – weird, senseless premonitions….

BUT, DARN IF IT DOESN’T AMAZE THE HECK OUT OF ME…

PSYCHIC CONNECTION HELEN…. *zzzzZZZZzt over and out. beep.

Helen of Lafolot
Living Life in Amazement!

Little Angels from 1964 to 2009! With a special message! (written on January 17, 2009)
Well… here’s an interesting one! Angels come in all shapes, sizes and colors…

I sent in my final version of my book “Life is a Song – int the key of Love” (subtitled: Growing up with the embarrassment of prejudice) and ordered the final proof copy.

The dedication in the front of the book is to: “the little black boy who was so adventurous as to wonder out of his ‘racially defined’ neighborhood to walk down to the alley behind my Front St home in Steelton – back in 1964. He had a snotty nose, ashy skin, but a big, fearless, adventurous soul (just like mine)! He went on his journey from 5th and 6th streets – only to have white-folks in my neighborhood screaming and yelling at him or they were going to call the cops. It was the time when JFK and MLK were fighting for equal rights, etc. – a lot of tension. I never forgot that image, standing at the gate at the end of my yard. It was so confusing.

Well, I didn’t feel like eating dinner this evening, but something told me to go out to eat. When I arrived at the restaurant, the Dollar Tree – bargain eyeglass-chain holder I had purchased broke. No problem, I just drove up to the dollar tree on my way home – Carlisle Pike.

I was one aisle over from the toy aisle. I had to smile, I could hear a young voice, trying to sound tough – saying some kind of ‘Boy From the Hood’ phrase (the kid was trying to sound tough) – can’t remember what it was. As I was heading out of my aisle, towards the back of the store, an African American woman was going by with her cart. I figured the voice must have belonged to her child. I didn’t think anything of it and kept walking around the back of the store, away from the toy aisle.

Well, I don’t know what made me turn around, after I had passed a few aisles, but – I did –
and, there he was – a little African American boy – with a snotty nose, trying to get my attention – aiming a plastic pistol/gun at me. His younger brother was also snotty nosed and toting a pistol (kids and cold season, plus touch kids don’t use tissues, you know!) – pointing it at me and pretending to shoot. He also had a bright red, plastic car – almost as big as he was!

So, not wanting to miss out on the fun – I assumed the Spider Man – web shooting position and shot some spider webs at them. Then, I said, hey, wait a minute. You don’t want to shoot people – you know what I do? They looked at me – I said –
I shoot smiles at people!
I like to see how many people I can get to smile back at me!

They put their guns away and the younger boy dropped the red car – due to its size.
I said – “OH NO! Auto Accident! and made a siren noise.”

Their mother called them and I had to stop playing. ;o)

I ran into them, again, at the front of the store. This time, I gave the older boy a smile – he still had the snot coming out of his nose- and, what did he do?

HE SMILED BACK AT ME! (without the gun)

I said, OH! I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP, A STATE TROOPER! I said, ‘DO YOU KNOW WHERE I WORK?’ He was bright, he said – a police officer? I said, at the State Police! I said, YOU COULD HELP AND PROTECT PEOPLE instead of shooting them! He said, ‘SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH THEM?’

I said YES! You could say stuff like, ‘Hey, why did you do that?’ ahahaha (not very creative – but, I tried)

I said, WOW! I bet you’re going to make a great police officer and help a lot of people! He nodded.

Then, we parted ways.

When I got to my car – I thought – OH MY GOD! I was inspired to write my book because of a brave little, snotty nosed, ashy skinned, black boy- walking past the gate at the end of my yard, in 1964 – and, THEN
all these years later….
when I finish the book –

I run into another little, snotty nosed, brave, bright, African-American boy – as if to say –

I’m the other book end to put parantheses around what inspired your life!

I’m glad, THIS TIME, instead of him being yelled at to ‘go back to his ‘racially defined neighborhood’ – he encountered a person encouraging him to BE ALL HE CAN BE, without fear – OH, AND WITH A SMILE!

I’d like to think the little boy from 1964 and the little boy from 2009 were both little angels sent to inspire me…

Highlighted Helen living BOLD and in ITALICS!

I’m very thrilled that my self-published book: Life is a Song in the Key of Love OR Growing Up With the Embarrassment of Prejudice is finding a home with souls who have been drawn to it.

It was quite a journey, reaching the point of self-publishing the book in 2009.
It started with the idea popping into my head in 1998 at a New Year’s week, yearly planning workshop. The title: Growing Up With the Embarrasssment of Prejudice popped into my head and started to inspire and marinate.

I immediately began to write notes and be inspired by quotes from different media – all applying to my book.
It was inspired by my personal life experience of growing up in a small Steel Town in Pennsylvania, in the early 1960′s.
Being 3rd generation Hungarian, I dealt with cultural bias, as well as experienced social bias as well as viewed racial bias.

This inspired me to write an Autobigraphical/Philosophical discussion on my early life experiences as a child, with bias, stereotype and racism. I saw all this from a point of view where the adults around me didn’t FEEL the bias, stereotypes and racism, but acted on what they had INHERITED from their ancestors.

I wasn’t able to write the book till I discovered the song: Life is A Song by Fred Ahlert from the 1930s. There was a key line in the song: Let’s take our hearts and dip them in rhyme. I was so inspired by the song and its beauty, I sang it an an INTERFAITH service, and watched at the attendees from all faiths, sat there listening, some with their eyes closed, taking in the beautiful words.

That was when I realized, I could NOW write my book, but from a gentle perspective of comparing social, cultural and racial bias to the way sheet music produces such a beautiful sound, even though – to the untrained eye – it looks like a mess of lines, dots, swirles, etc.

If sheetmusic could be so diverse and produce such a beautiful sound, why couldn’t we with all our diversity?

I’m adding this to my blog in hopes of bringing awareness to my self-published book, which is available on lulu.com as well as my own website: www.lafolot.com. It’s also available on the internet via Amazon and other online book sales.

If this topic speaks to you, I invite you to take a dive into my book, and allow it to open your mind and open you and others to discussions on your own life experiences and questions relating to social, cultural and racial bias – and look at how to MAKE LIFE A SONG!

Helen of Lafolot
Motivating and Inspiring Others
Have a beautiful day!

I decided to post a Ha Ha Helen moment from 2008, since this is a new blog, and some may not have read this. I think it’s special enough to share. ;o)

Tasty Food, A Trucker far from home, and some Angels in disguise!

I ‘really’ needed a laughter club this evening, but I had a ‘no show’ event. (Certified Laughter Leaders appreciate the healthy, healing effects of sharing laughter!)
But, then – I started to count the blessings of the day ;o)
GRATITUDE ‘is’ the laughter club way ;o)

2 interesting things occurred –

1) I hadn’t been to Thai Palace (one of my favorite restaurants) in awhile, and decided to head over there before my laughter club. Well, I saw a woman walking across the road and come into the restaurant. They sat her in the booth directly in front of me. I really didn’t FEEL like talking to anyone, BUT she decided to sit FACING me.

So, I tried looking out the window (even though I had my OBVIOUS LAFOLOT t-shirt on) duh! But – she whispered loudly over to me – THIS PLACE IS QUIET!

Well, I decided to get out of my funk and be friendly.
I told her I frequented the restaurant and it wasn’t a Quiet place at all. I let her know it was OK to ‘holler’ over to the servers, because they were friendly. She felt more relaxed then.
She explained she was a Truck Driver as well as a WIDOWER – (she didn’t even look 40). She had fire-y red hair, long hair, and was a bit on the heavier side.
She just started to tell me her story. I told her I was interested in presenting laughter wellness to Truckers – to use when they are driving.

She gave me a website USEXPRESS.com, because she said there is a HOTLINE for truckers to call, when they are down, need assistance, etc. She said my LAFOLOT wellness would work well for them.

So, as always, when I’m out and about – she told me more about her life; how truck driving keeps her travelling and that another trucker told her it was ‘TIME FOR HER TO GO BACK HOME.’ I don’t think she had been home since she lost her husband. I told her – it would happen when she was ready, and that – HOME is where the HEART is. I told her, for now, her truck was her home – until she was ready to settle down or face her former home where she had lost her husband. She said she was from Austin, TX – and, here she was, all the way out in Pennsylvania.

I gave her one of my HA HA Helen upbeat saying, bookmarks to place in the cab of her truck. I intend to check out their website and list my information on it, for truckers to see.

2) When no one showed at my laughter club -
a) I was glad for a chance to get out of the house and my ‘funk’ anyway
b) I was glad I met the wondering trucker
c) I ran into a group of New American Catholic/Alternate lifestyle folks that are using my church’s
office to have their monthly board meetings. They were so friendly and helpful!
They asked me for my Laughter Club Flyers -
Their leader – Father Mike – was very helpful in assisting me with packing my display items.
He asked for my flyers and brochure because he is associated with the Visiting
Nurses’ Association.

One of the other board members told me about a website to advertise my laughter clubs: MEETUP.com

So – all in all – even though no one showed for the laughter club – I had quite an interesting and productive evening – in sharing my laughter wellness – just not the way “I” had planned it. Talk about ‘letting go…’

Ha Ha Helen – living in amazement of the life flow…. ride the waves… weeeeeee!