LAFOLOT

GIFT OF THE TINSEL HEADBAND DEELY BOBBER
December 22, 2009

Heading over to one of my favorite business supply stores: A.C. MOORE Crafts; I parked at the far end of the parking lot. I was wearing my SKECHER SHAPE UPS and wanted to get some exercise, walking to the store.

I also like parking farther out in the lot, because of the shore birds. Yes! Even though we live ‘in-land’, shore birds hang out in the parking lot in the winter! They have food and a creek, nearby – so this has become their ‘chill out’ place. I love watching them interact with each other. They are used to the shoppers, as well as get excited when one of the residents of the area brings bread and stuff for them.

So, I start my trek towards A.C. Moore Crafts, hearing the familiar ding, a ling, a ling of the Salvation Army Holiday bell; getting the attention of shoppers to drop a donation into the bucket.

As a Certified Laughter Leader, my ‘yearly’ uniform headdress is a ‘tinsel deely bobber headband’. This is because I have stick-straight, fine hair and it doesn’t mess up my hair like a hat would. Being the Christmas Season, at the moment, I’ve been wearing it when I go food shopping or any other shopping.
Actually – I don’t need a reason, I wear it in the middle of the summer into restaurants! Ha Ha

So, as I approach the store and the Salvation Army volunteer sees me, she starts to smile and laugh. She calls out, ‘WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE?’ I walk closer and let her know, Oriental Trading Co., but would YOU like them, even though I have worn them?

She said YES, and smiled. I said, ‘Here, let me put them on for you!’ She had her hands full and was busy doing her volunteer work, so I didn’t want to interrupt her! She was a cute, a bit unkempt; her hair seemed as if it hadn’t been washed.

As I placed the Tinsel Deely Bobber Headband (it also has bells attached) on her head, I stated: ‘I now pronounce you QUEEN!’ She smiled and laughed, wore them with pride, as she rang her volunteer bell!

When I was exiting the store, I called out loudly as another customer was going by her: ‘Where DID you get that wonderful tinsel headband?’ She smiled and laughed, saying: ‘I WONDER!?’ Her eyes were sparking.

I teach the gift is in the giving. I love wearing those headbands because people give me a lot of smiles and laughs and odd looks while I’m wearing them and catching people off guard. I didn’t mind giving that up so this young girl could experience some of that herself. People tend to run in the opposite direction of the Salvation Army Bell ringers. Hopefully, the headband will draw more smiling, laughing face to her, this season!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! PEACE AND PROPERITY TO ALL, THIS SEASON AND INTO THE NEW YEAR!
HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT
Living Life in Amazement!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com

Silly shopper! Tinsel Deely bobbers are for kids!

I decided to wear my Tinsel Deely Bobber headband into Olive Garden – while sitting at the bar area, eating my appetizer; before going food shopping. I got to interract and have fun with a mom and her 4 daughters, sitting in a booth, near me. The littlest girl was belting out HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! So, I went over and gave her a Laughter Club CHEER! with a big YEAH! She smiled and her mom thanked me. Before I left, I gave her a couple of my smiley face bookmarks and an ‘I Love to LAFOLOT, it’s Healthy! pin; telling her, YOU WIN THE PRIZE FOR BEST SINGING VOICE! She smiled brightly and jumped up and down in excitement. I let her mom know I was a laughter yoga instructor. I then sang the HA HA Happy Birthday song to the eldest daughter, when I found out it was her Birthday.

I headed over to do my food shopping and wore my Tinsel Deelby Bobber headband into the grocery store. On my way in, I passed a mom with her two toddlers – telling them to Look! Look! So I shook my head and made the bells ring on the headband.

The FUNNY thing is, when I play my SMILE game to see how many smiles I get returned, when I’m NOT wearing my headband, I get a lot of smiles. It was different – I got a lot of people avoiding my glance, looking down, keeping straight looks on their faces! It was interesting!

When I first entered the store, and picked up a small shopping cart – I headed directly for my younger sister’s friend Lynn. She works at the ‘speedy checkout’ line. Her back was turned to me, so I snuck up and was going to nudge her with my cart like a fake accident, but she turned around and saw me. She was hollering at me (as is her nature – be a very outgoing person) WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU WEARING!? I talked to her briefly and headed on my way.

As I said, I had MORE people avoiding me – guess that thought I was ‘questionable!’ HA HA When I got to the Greeting Card aisle, I had to head down the aisle. There was a woman in a red skirt with white trim and a red cap with white trip (like Santa). I headed directly towards her and said: ‘YOU GOT A LOT OF NERVE COMING IN HERE DRESSED LIKE THAT!’ She looked up, saw my Tinsel Headband and laughed. Yes, she said – people are looking at me strangely, too! What’s up with that? HA HA

Then, I found one of the store ‘cart collectors and baggers’ in an aisle with two huge bags of ‘paper trash’. I said: ARE THOSE SANTA’S SACKS!?’ He gave me a big smile. I don’t know his name; the store hires ‘developmentally challenged’, ‘loving souls’ to collect carts and do bagging. This guy is great, always has a smile and is fun to talk to.

When I went into the juice aisle, a woman and her husband were shopping. He nearly stepped back into me before his wife warned him to STOP! I said: ‘Yes, don’t step on the rheindeer!’ He laughed as he turned and said: ‘Oh No! Wouldn’t want to do that, rheindeers can attack!’ We laughed as we went our separate ways. I finished my shopping and didn’t realize I was passing the same man coming out of another aisle. The funny part is, his black baseball cap had a silhouette of an ALIEN on the front! I said to him: ‘Oh, I didn’t see your Alien hat earlier!’ THEN, I realized whey HE hadn’t minded my tinsel headband!

So – I went to the SPEEDY checkout and encountered my sister’s friend ‘Lynn’ – once again. The funny thing is, Lynn tends to talk away at me while I’m scanning my groceries, and she leans on the bagging area. This causes the ‘loudly talking’ automated voice to constantly shout out errors. ‘PLEASE PUT THE LAST ITEM BACK IN THE BAG!’ ‘PLEASE RESCAN THE LAST ITEM!’ HA HA Then, she started taking my food items out of the bag, after I would scan them to see what I had bought! This caused the automated voice to squawk even more: ‘PLEASE PUT THE LAST ITEM, BACK IN THE BAG!’ ha ha ha I had to keep telling the other attendant to clear the errors so I could continue! Then, what does Lynn say? ‘YOU HAVE TO WATCH ‘THIS’ ONE!”

Oh geez!

The wonderful thing is, the cart collector/bagging guy then came up to me, he was heading out of the store, too. He mentioned that he REALLY liked my tinsel headband. I told him I had some in my car, if he wanted one and wanted to follow me, I’d give him one as a gift. He put a BIG SMILE on his face and said yes, he’d walk out with me. Once I gave it to him, he said he’d wait till later next week to wear it. I said: ‘WHY? JUST START WEARING IT NOW AND HAVE SOME FUN! IT WILL MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH AND SMILE!’ He was thrilled he had been given permission to start wearing it sooner, gave me a big smile and thanked me!

HA HA Helen ‘out and about’ spreading HOLIDAY CHEER!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com

We experience,
We create,
We Teach, and
We Share
Prejudice and Intolerance.
We have the power to:
Overcome the experience,
Relook at the experience,
Educate ourselves, and
Share what we’ve learned
about overcoming
prejudice and intolerance
to
MAKE LIFE A SONG!
By: Helen Marie Szollosy

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BOOK

Life Is A Song in the Key of Love was a book conceived over 8 years ago, while writing a list of goals during a New Year’s Day workshop. The original title that came to mind was, ‘Growing Up with the Embarrassment of Prejudice.’ Much research was completed, but the book was never started due to it appearing negative, and possibly harmful to those involved in the scenarios presented.

It is meant to be an autobiographical, philosophical discussion on personal experiences relating to intolerance, prejudice, labeling and sterotyping as seen from the author’s childhood, onward. It is meant to show how we may not feel the hate, prejudice and intolerance, but we learn it in a state of being unaware.

Then, in the year 2008, the author realized a song she had learned while developing her singing voice could take the book in a positive direction! Excitedly, the author dove into completing the book in relation to paralleling moving away from prejudice and intolerance by looking at Life As A Song!

It is hoped that this book may be used to cause people to search within for any intolerance and prejudice and aid in open discussions to help the world heal from hate, prejudice and hurt. In appreciation of Joe Young, who wrote these beautiful words: “Life is a song, let’s sing it together, let’s take our hearts, and dip them in rhyme.”

Special Note: Make the world a better place; join my smile campaign. See how many people of all beliefs, backgrounds, etc. you can make smile, just by looking in their direction, and GIVING them a smile. It’s free and it brightens someone’s day,
you can’t beat that! It also opens you to meeting some really interesting people. You never know what you’ll learn! Helen

Ha Ha Helen reporting in (as I recuperate from an intestinal virus)…. ugh!

Luckily, I come from a family of 7 children whose mother was a nurse. As a result, I learned a lot about home remedies and caring for myself when I’m under the weather.

After almost 24 hours of only lemon-water, tea with honey and lemon, or a little juice; I started to get my energy back this morning. I ventured out of my house with the intention of picking up Pepto-Bismol, as well as cup-of-soup packets and melba toast. I intended to run in and run out of the grocery store, because I was ‘still’ a bit dependent on the bathroom!

I headed straight for the aisle witht he Pepto Bismol, got the other items. Then, I remembered I needed one last item, an emergency Cat Litter purchase! As I quickly made my left into the Pet Aisle; there was a cart blocking the overstocked aisle. There was an senior woman looking intently at one shelf.

I announced, appropriately, so as to get by: BEEP! BEEP! Oh, C’mon – s’cuse me is so much more boring! She turned to me and smiled, laughing as she moved her cart saying: “Ha, I just asked someone earlier if I was in THEIR way!” Then, she made some comment about what a chore it was grocery shopping.

Then, she mentioned having a coupon for a specific type of energy saving lightbulb, but she couldn’t find the item. I saw a store clerk stocking shelves half-way up the aisle. I suggested she might want to ask the clerk. She thanked me pointing out the clerk; and I started to move up the aisle. Then, I thought, I know how to cheer her up! I stopped – pulled out one of my LAFOLOT Smile Face with Positive Message bookmarks, handed it to her and said: ‘Here, would you like a bookmark?’ She had a hearing aid in both ears, so I had to repeat it louder.

Her face lit up! She exclaimed, this is great and I read a lot, too! Then she asked me what it was I did? I told her I teach Laughter Wellness. She thought that was great!

Then, she began to tell me ALL ABOUT HER LIFE! She referred to herself in the first person, at one point, so I knew her name was Jane. She was going to be turning 90 in a month, she became a nurse in 1941 and worked at our local State Mental Health hospital most of her life, she had wanted to become a home economics teacher, but there weren’t jobs in that area. She said she didn’t regret a day of her decision to become a nurse, instead. She told me she attends a local Presbyterian church and wanted to a couple more Smiley Bookmark cards to give one to her minister for a possible future laughter program! She talked highly of her church, she told me she had really loved her mother-n-law and wasn’t that odd? She mentioned her good, hard-working husband had died on Good-Friday, just before Easter – years ago. Plus a whole lot more…

I was concerned because of having an intestinal virus and being around someone I might make ill. I had made use of the store’s sanitizing hand wipes before I entered the store. But, I was torn between cutting her conversation short – knowing she really needed to talk – and getting her sick. When the time seemed right, I let her know – showing her the pepto bismol in my cart, that I was dealing with a stomache virus and didn’t want to make her ill. I let her know I needed to move on. We wished eachother good days as we parted.

I just found it all very fascinating! Just when we think we are down and out for whatever reason, something or someone comes along to let us know we still have something to give – even if it’s just a listening ear!

Happy upcoming Holidays (however you celebrate). Like my new buddy, Jane, may we all collect new happy, warm-hearted, sentimental memories this Holiday Season!

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT
www.lafolot.com