LAFOLOT

Honest! I wasn’t EVEN trying!

I was having a productive, ‘neutral’ day. I like reading my daily inspiration/meditation magazine when I go out for lunch (gets me visibility, networking and socialization – since I work out of my home).

I was absentmindedly reading the Thursday Inspiration/Meditation – started to take notes within the article (I use some of the quotes in my motivational talks) – when I saw the page number – 55 (HA HA in Thai) The other funny thing was, the message was about being Open to Receiving all the Good that is coming your way – seeing it multiplied many times over.

I had to laugh at myself! On the wrong page, but getting a laugh at the end! ;o)

I also needed to stop at the grocery store on the way home. (I purposely don’t do the big, once or twice a week shopping sprees – so that I can get out and mingle with people, more.)

I needed a new, outdoor broom since my Dollar Store broom broke. I had it for a couple years, so it paid itself off! ha ha

I encountered a woman pulling an overstuffed cart. PULLING from the side, not pushing from the back handle.

As I came down my aisle and intersected with her as she passed, ending up behind her; I saw she was doing that because she had a cane with a wrist brace around her left arm, to help her walk. She was tall, statuesque and middle-aged.

Just as I was coming up behind her, she did a U-Turn to backtrack.

But – it wasn’t just any-old U-Turn; it was the most graceful move I had ever seen – considering the overstuff cart – usine one hand to pull the cart around and continuing to keep balanced with the cane.

I said: ‘That’s the most graceful move I’ve ever seen!’ [I was serious and impressed.] She looked at me with mouth wide open, eyes open in a look of fatigue, exhaustion, etc. I think it even included a bit of a gasp or sigh.]

So I immediately said: ‘Well! You may not have wanted it to look that way, but that was the most graceful, beautifully executed move I’ve ever seen! She let out a laugh and said, ‘Oh Yes! I’m dancing!’ – just being silly and sarcastic – but it allowed her to get out of her frustration for the moment. I really think she could have been a dancer if she wasn’t one.

After I went throug the checkout line with my few items and the Broom resting on top of my cart – sticking out in both directions – too long for the cart… I saw one of my Cashier Buddies who knows I am a laughter leader.

I called out: Hey! Great Look! – since she had an orange – stringy yarn ornament on the left ponytail and a black-stringy yarn ornament on the right ponytail. She hollered back as she walked towards me: ‘They even have SPIDERS in them!’ She came over and showed me. I told her I loved it!

Then – she caught me off guard and said: ‘RIDE HOME?’ I didn’t get what she was saying till she pointed at the Broom I had bought!

I laughed, and at a lower sound level I did my best WITCH Laugh for her. I said: ‘Good one! and since I have a laughter program on Friday, I can use the Witch Laugh!’ She went on about her business and I left.

I WASN’T EVEN LOOKING FOR THE JOY and it FOUND ME!

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT
Hit by the JOY FAIRY (if there is such a thing!?)
Live Life! Laugh Often!

October 19, 2009 – Ha Ha Helen, Candid Camera Style at the Grocery Store!

It’s all about the At-E-2’d! I finally got out of my ‘pity me’ funk and made an intention, this morning to ‘turn it around!’ I started by taking a positive step and placed an Ad out on Facebook for my book: “Life is a Song in the key of love or Growing Up With the Embarrassment of Prejudice”

I headed out to my chiropractor appointment. There were a group of 5 women, waiting in the lobby area, when I was done with my appointment. I went over, whispered that I did laughter wellness, and since it was a doctor’s office, did they want to do the QUIET laugh with me? They smiled and I demonstrated the ‘Quiet’ laugh. They agreed, while laughing and smiling, that it had wonderful muscle toning impact and the one lady started to laugh so hard, she was shaking – but quietly, of course! I left them with smiles and laughter.

Once I got in my car, my cell phone rang. It was a woman I had talked to from a local church. She said ‘the church committee’ had given her permission to book me for a laughter wellness even the week before Valentine’s Day! I was thrilled, my mood was turning around along with my intention to let go of the blues. The funny part was, Kelly told me the group couldn’t pronounce my last name; so every time they mentioned me during the discussion as HA HA HELEN, they would start to laugh. She said it kept happening and they kept laughing! I said, Wow! I’m not even there and you’re starting the program without me! They were going to be able to pay me, adequately, for my services, so I was very grateful!

After lunch at my favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Palace, I decided to do my ‘little bit’ of grocery shopping at the Super Sized, High End, GIANT Food Stores in Camp Hill, PA. Because? It has my LAFOLOT – Laughter Wellness advertisement on 25% of their Grocery Cart ADs. Not cheap, but I got a BIG AD with my face on it, for ½ price!

So, I made sure I got one of the carts with my AD and photo facing OUTWARD towards the customers, as I pushed the cart around. The AD is on the BACK of the ‘child safety’ seat – so people can see it coming towards them. These carts are LONG and DEEP, so it was funny to see my few items way down in the bottom of the cart.

I went over to get eggs. There was a woman there with a toddler in the child safety seat of her cart. I heard the little boy say: ‘EGGS! EGGS! with his entire body shaking with excitement! His mom said: ‘Oh, no, we don’t need any eggs, today.’ I had to turn around and say to her: ‘Gosh! He’s REALLY excited about eggs, isn’t he? That’s great!’ She smiled and agreed.

I started to do a sort of: CANDID CAMERA deal where I would approach people and say: “GEE! ISN’T IT INTERESTING HOW MY FACE MATCHES THE FACE ON THIS AD?’

First person approach, a handsome, older gentleman in a 3 piece suit; he laughed, smiled and wished me a great day!

Next person, an employee stocking shelves: She responded with a wink, smile and a’ thumbs up’!

Next… a young, male employee stocking the shelves; I joked with him that I had such a BIG cart because I was shopping for a handsome guy with money, and I needed space for him in the cart!

I turned the corner and saw a customer checking out items on a shelf. When I ‘did my thing’ with the irony of the likeness, she stopped, did a double-take, looked at me and said: IT’S YOU! IT’S YOU, ISN’T IT! SHE LAUGHED OUT LOUD! I gave her one of my smiley face, positive statement bookmarks. She asked about what I did, I explained it and we parted, smiling and laughing.

I then approached another woman coming up the aisle. She got a BIG laugh and SMILE out of it! She said: ‘You have to go do that to my husband, he’s in the aisle by the eggs.’ I said: ‘No problem, I’m just in here having fun!’ She said: ‘My husband has been in a down mood lately. He has had several surgeries and he’s been depressed. He hasn’t been smiling and he’s been grumpy. I said: ‘OK – show me where he is.’ So – I followed her and she stayed back, farther down the aisle after she pointed him out.

I pretended I was casually shopping and looking till I got to him and ‘did my thing’. He SMILED right away! I gave him one of my smiley face bookmarks that reads: LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN! He took it and laughed and smiled. I said: ‘I hear you’ve been having a rough time of it so I wanted to come over and cheer you up!’ He said: ‘You’ve been talking to my wife, haven’t you?’ *smile I said: ‘Yes, but I’m a certified laughter leader and I like to get people healthy with laughter and smiles. Keep smiling and laughing and you‘ll heal faster!’ He thanked me, and as I started to walk away, his wife said: ‘Oh Miss, what is that you’re talking about?’ ha ha ha she was still playing the scam – ha ha ha She said: ‘Did you get him to smile?’ I said: ‘YES! He was smiling as I approached.’

I got to approach many more folks as I finished walking through the store with my AD. I went up to the in-house Citizens’ Bank and joked: ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to rob you, I can’t, my photo is on the carts!’ The tellers asked me what I did, I explained it to them and gave them a card. I told them their corporate office should hire me to do a laughter wellness program for the employees. I left after the manager and I exchanged cards. I told him I’d refer his bank and he promised to refer me to his corporate office!

On my way out, I was lucky enough to get a Checkout Clerk from the Philippines! Since I like to learn how to say hello, goodbye, thank you in many language; she taught me: Hello = KA-MUS-TA and the response is: MA-BU-TEE. Thank you is: SA-LAM-AT Another language to add to my list! She asked what I did and I explained laughter wellness to her. I told her I could now share a Philippine version of the ALOHA laugh by using: KA-MUS-TA-HA HA HA HA HA HA She thought that was great!

So, as I’ve told myself over and over again; to get out of a funk, go out and mingle with people and make their days, it always turns mine around!

Ha Ha Helen out and about
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com

Ha Ha Helen, reporting in ;o)

I’ve been a bit bummed, don’t know if it’s menopause or what, any-who… ;o) having ‘aging’ bother me … I know – I’m only 50.

So, I was practicing learning the words to songs I’ll be singing at a Senior Center… namely – ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’ – I have a backing track with the words, and one with just the music – so I can practice singing while I drive. It’s such a great, upbeat song!

I was driving to my favorite ‘Thai’ restaurant for lunch. I got to sit at a booth in front of some Golden Seniors! What a blessing! I would have put these folks at about their early 70s…. (silly me!) Wait till you hear!

I got a lot of smiles, and sparkles in my eyes as I sat and ‘listened in’ on their wonderful stories! At one point, a customer was walking back to her booth from the Buffet, and she caught me with this HUGE SMILE on my face (from listening and enjoying the stories) – so she SMILED back at me – not realizing it was from my enjoyment of the diners behind me!

The one woman (Lillie – I found out her name, later), shared that her doctor told her she was going to live to be 120!! Her husband (Jim) told their friend Betty, that Lillie had survived cancer and many other ‘challenges’ and was now healthier than ever!

I sat there in amazement! I bet we’ll see Lillie’s photo on ABC when Willard Scott (weatherman) shows her as the oldest living person – years from now!

So Lillie went on to tell wonderful stories of getting FREE meals at a Chinese Buffet restaurant due to – TWICE – having a server spill food on her beautiful suit outfit! As she talked – their stories would be interrupted for a minute or so, as all three ‘Tried to Remember’ the name of ‘this or that’ place or restaurant…
the story would get stalled, until they’d go through… a guess, then – Oh, No, that’s not it…. it was quite endearing to hear the wonderful conversation between the husband, wife and their friend Betty. You get the idea!

So, once again, I got to SNAP OUT OF my FUNK and raelize it’s not all that bad getting older – because you get to have REALLY FUN conversations with your friends! ;o)

When I was leaving, Jim (in his toupe’) stopped near the register and told a woman waiting for take out; that he thought he knew her from a HEALTH fair at our local Farm Show Building, in Harrisburg, PA.

So, I JUMPED in on the conversation and whipped one of my: ‘LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN! Book marks out – asking Jim…. “Did you say you go to health and wellness events?!”
He GLADLY took my bookmark/business card, saw my LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN! Bumper Display out on the Thai Palace Business card board, just inside the foyer to the restaurant… and said: OH! THAT’S YOU? I’M GOING TO TAKE ONE OF YOUR BUMPER DISPLAYS AND PUT IT ON OUR CAR!’ I was just thrilled to meet this wonderful couple.

He then said, putting out his hand to shake mine:
‘My name is Jim, and this is my wife, Lillie!’ He said, I’ll bet you can’t guess how old she is? Well, I thought 70s…. he said: 96!!!

He asked me what I did. I explained Laughter Yoga and got him to do the Aloha Laugh with me. He and Lillie both laughed along with me!

Lillie was gorgeous, coiffed hair, a beautiful read suit with scarf, makeup – amazing! He said they both did Ball Room dancing.

I gave Lillie a Book Mark with a fun saying on it, also.
She told us she had been in a car accident and was learning to walk again. I said: Well! Since you’re doctor said you’re going to live to be 120yrs old – you have PLENTY of time to perfect it!

Jim was leading her out of the restaurant and took one of my magnetic bumper displays and placed it smack dab in the middle – on the back of their high end vehicle! I smiled and thanked him! He said: ‘There you go! I’ll advertise for you!’

Lillie was seeming a bit bummed about her accident. She showed me her car license plate was a bit bumpy – she said: “They had to drive over it to straighten it out!’ She had said their other car had been smashed like an accordian.

I told Lillie about my sister Dolly that had been hit by a drunk driver at age 19, had brain damage – then I said: ‘Lillie, look at the bright side, you are both alive, you aren’t in a wheel chair, you still have eachother, and your license plate now has CHARACTER!’ She agreed with me as Jim opened her car door and led her into their beautiful, new vehicle.

As I drove away – they both waved. So, I guess I can let go of being bummed about aging, and keep in mind Lillie and Jim – the ballroom dancing, smart dressing, positive outlook souls in their 90s – who don’t look a day over 70!

Live Life! Laugh Often! Lillie and Jim!
Ha Ha Helen of Lafolot
pondering life… in its golden years
www.lafolot.com

Ha Ha (55) Helen, reporting in ;o)
October 13, 2009

I don’t like to cook, so I frequent local restaurants, a lot. If you ever watched the show CHEERS, there was a character, Norm, whose name got called out whenever he entered the bar. That’s how it is with me, at local restaurants. I enter the door and they holler out: HELEN! Sometimes, they even have my drink already sitting at the table before I’m in the place!
ha ha ha… (555)

So – why am I typing 5′s??? Well, I was having a ‘challenging’ day, having received a ‘NOTICE’ e-mail from my older/mentally-physically disabled (Dolly) sister’s Nursing Home. Since I am her representative and Power of Atty – I got the notice about her mentally challenged husband…. (long story – won’t go into it…)

So, always wanting to look for the positive, having a past of 12 Step Programs along with the Good Hearted Living principles (Steve Wilson of World Laughter Tour, Co.), etc. I was kind to myself, and made sure to ‘talk about it’ with supportive folks, etc.

On my way to my favorite Thai restaurant (Thai Palace), I saw a license plate on a vehicle in the turning lane to the left of me, it read: 555

Sometimes, Spirit, the Universe, Higher Power, God, etc. – pops in and helps us deal with the day’s challenges.

I had to laugh HA, HA, HA…. why? BECAUSE… my good friend Khantalay, a daughter of the LAOS cook and server at Thai Palace taught me…. 5 in Thai is pronounced: HA

She told me, whenever she e-mails her Thai or Laos friends, to show they are laughing, they type: 555 (HA HA HA!)

So, there was my little help message from ‘The Universe’ as I prepared to turn down the road towards Thai Palace … on the license plate – 555! Lighten Up! it was saying.

If THAT wasn’t funny enough! When I pulled in to the restaurant, it had just opened. May – one of the Thai servers, and the owner Xi, got to here my 555 license plate story…. WELL!!

Just as I was telling it to them, I turned my head to look out the window and two of the other servers, Mi and Pen pulled up in a cab. What were the last four digits on the the side of the car, for the cab company? -5555 HA HA HA HA!!!

I laughed out loud! I showed Mi and Xi – Mi laughed.

So – to all my CLL buds out there … 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5!!!!!

Laughter IS, truly universal – even numerically speaking!

55 Helen of LAFOLOT
www.lafolot.com