LAFOLOT

SWITCHED THE CHANNEL (a Ha Ha, Highlighted Helen, moment)
2/25/2010

Well! It’s never too late to ‘turn the beat around’ or switch to a new channel!

If you don’t like what’s on your personal life station, pick a new radio frequency or channel!

I shared with folks, I was going to get rid of my television cable service, which I did on February 8, 2010. I had taken early retirement in order to focus on starting my own business, a year earlier. I found it was too easy to avoid my business focus; and watch the all day television marathons of my favorite crime solving shows!

Well, it took some adjustment, but I started to move in a positive direction! Just the other week, I finally focused on using my Interior Design skills to create a new environment in my home. My philosophy as far as Interior Design has always been to go against the grain. I encourage people to use rooms and space the way THEY need to, not the way society says to. For example, in one home I owned, the dining room was my ‘music and movement’ room. I didn’t need a dining room table, I don’t cook and entertain at home, so I made the room work for my clarinet practice, singing and exercise equipment!

So, in my condo, which has a beautiful view of a church, cemetery, beautiful gray stone wall surrounding the cemetery, as well as a couple Locust trees along the wall; I’ve taken advantage of the view!
Not being attached to a television, any longer; I SWITCHED MY VIEWING CHANNEL!

I have now switched to the OUTSIDE CHANNEL, which makes insides (spiritually speaking) a lot happier and calmer. I moved my comfortable sofa, which was always planted in front of the television, to the dining room; which has sliding glass doors looking out over the peaceful view! I get to relax or lie on the sofa and watch the OUTSIDE show! This morning, there were crows flying across the cemetery towards the Locust trees; there were big, white fluffy snowflakes slowly wafting down to the ground. I can sit there and prepare items for my LAFOLOT business; while enjoying the natural light and soft view.

So, as I shared in my WAVBYBY writing, even though I have switched to this new channel, without cable television, sometimes I focus my view in the wrong direction, get stuck on the wrong channel and react emotionally. The nice thing about switching to the wrong channel; you can always turn off the station or switch to another channel and turn the beat around!

This happened today! As I pulled into my local post office to mail some cards to my sister who is in a nursing home; I encountered a gentleman exiting his car. I instantly shared a smile. He smiled back, so I got to give myself a point with my Ha Ha Helen SMILE CAMPAIGN game!

Then, a wonderful bit of synchronicity happened; I saw a friend I know from my church who also works at a local high school. She saw me and we exchanged smiles and hellos! I told her how I had just gotten a POINT by sharing a smile with the man who had gotten out of his car. She responded: ‘Yes! When he looked in my direction, and was smiling, it made ME smile! ‘ I said: ‘That’s it! That’s what I teach! When I shared the warmth of a smile brightening his and my day; it automatically traveled over to you, brightening your day!’ She said: Yes! It did! After that, she encountered a long line at the post office counter, and her day turned around when she came back out to find me at the self-serve postal machine. She watched me get postage for my package; and as a result was able to quickly get postage for her international card she was sending to Ireland! We got to make the gentleman waiting behind us laugh. When she was done, I let her know we could go over to the self-serve counter to allow the gentleman behind us to use the ‘weigher device’. Ha Ha! I couldn’t think of the word; she laugh, he laughed, I laughed and she said: ‘Scale?’

So we all left in a good mood. Then, when I exited the building, I automatically smiled at a young man crossing the parking lot, heading into the post office. He not only smiled, he said: ‘Hello’ That got me two points, in my smile game!

Then, a wonderful thing happened! With all the issues I was having the previous day with my neighbor’s visitors parking in my space and me allowing it to get to me, getting emotional etc. (I had been feeling frustrated with myself over it all…)

The young guy asked if the car next to his truck was mine? I said: ‘No, mine is the one with the LAFOLOT sign on the side.’ He laughed and went into the post office. I then realized, that due to the tight parking situation in the post office lot, he had no choice and his passenger side of his truck was almost blocking the entrance into the driver side door of the vehicle beside him.

I thought to myself! Wow! I have definitely SWITCHED to a NEW Channel! It’s like this day was a total opposite of yesterday!

When I went to lunch and read my daily meditation magazine it talked about STOPPING and TURNING a moment around by becoming more aware. It talked about ‘ELIMINATING’ negative talk and thoughts, even if we have to stop ourselves in mid-sentence!

I have a note at the top of my website: ‘A little kindness goes a long way.’ This day was filled with kindness from me to others and from others to me.

This reminded me of the scene in the Wizard of OZ where the witch causes Dorothy and her friends to fall asleep before reaching OZ by placing a field of poppies in their path. Then, the good witch has white, fluffy snowflakes fall over the poppy field which gently awakes and brings AWARENESS back to Dorothy and her friends, so they can get to The Land of OZ and realized, everything they needed, was inside them all along.

Today – falling from the clouds, were white, fluffy, snowflakes – helping to SWITCH THE CHANNEL and turn things around in a positive, healthy direction.

Ha Ha, Highlighted Helen of LAFOLOT
www.lafolot.com
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Live life in a-MAZE-ment!
helenoflafolot@yahoo.com

[This blog can also be seen at Vibrant Nation, a website for women over 50. It's full of wonderful information and sharing.]

WAVBYBY (…a Highlighted – HA HA Helen moment)

Oh goodie! Another life lesson to learn!

Upon leaving my house for an appointment, this morning, I noticed there was a vehicle parked in another condo owner’s numbered space, knowing it wasn’t theirs. Why would this catch my attention? While I am mindful of other condo owner’s numbered spaces, making sure I tell visitors to either park in my spot or an unnumbered spot I have not had the same courtesy offered to me. I have even had a fellow condo owner come knocking on my door, making an assumption my company was in her space, when it was from one of 54 plus other units in our development.

I know, it’s like a bad sitcom, becoming obsessed with parking spaces! (Gotta Laugh!) So, what did I do? YES! I allowed it to bother me and make me buggy and irritable! That’s so Ha Ha Helen of me!

After my appointment, I headed to lunch at my favorite Thai Palace restaurant. There was only one other car in the parking lot. The car had the license plate: WAVBYBY I had to smile as I saw it, thinking of the toddler phrase.

When I entered the restaurant, I saw a woman getting her takeout order. I asked: ‘Is that your WAVBYBY license plate out there?’ She smiled, saying ‘yes’. I said, as I did a toddler wave: BYE BYE, BYE BYE. She laughed, saying: ‘THAT’s what most people do!’ So I had a nice, tasty lunch.

As I was heading back home, driving past a store parking lot, a couple was loading their child into their car when a helium balloon had gotten loose and was flying away, into the sky. Wave Bye Bye! I thought, and smiled as I continued to drive.

Just then, at an intersection, a Human Waste Collection/Disposal truck had just pulled out ahead of me. It’s one of those trucks that maintains Porto Potties on job sites, etc. I was driving down the road for about a half-mile till I smiled and started to laugh out loud! A vehicle used to remove WASTE, ELIMINATION! AH HA HA HA HA – Wave Bye Bye! I laughed out loud. The number was 1-877-RESTROOM! HA HA

I thought! Wow! What a funny way to get a life-lesson or spiritual message to me, for the day! Was I being told to: LET IT GO! ELIMINATE unnecessary, obsessive thinking? A WAVBYBY license plate, a fly-a-way helium balloon and a human waste collection truck; I guess when you become a certified laughter leader, your life lesson synchronistic messages come to you with a sense of humor!

As I got farther down the road, I saw a sign at a gas station that had in bold, black letters: PERFECTION! Ah! I thought! Okay, I got it! Then, as traffic was paused for a traffic light a block away from me; I saw a woman sitting on her front porch. I rolled down the car window, put on my clown nose, she looked, looked away, then looked back again. She laughed! I ‘waved bye bye’ as traffic started to move due to the light changing.

So, did I learn my lesson? NOooooooo way! I’m not laughing at myself. When I got home, my neighbor’s first visitor had moved out of another neighbor’s parking space, and guess what; she had a new visitor now conveniently parked in MY space! So I parked in an unnumbered spot and placed a nicely worded note card on the car under the wiper blade. I just noted that the condo owner they were visiting should let them know to park in the unnumbered spots.

Well, I just couldn’t get the message and LET IT GO. The neighbor’s visitor came out and I tried explaining that the woman she was visiting had lived there for nine years and should let her know where to park. Things got ugly. She moved the car. What can I say – I am not happy with my handling of the situation. Like I said, makes for good sitcom material!

I guess I need more WAVBYBY license plates, fly-a-way balloons and 1-877-RESTROOM trucks till I get the gist of it! Maybe I need a truckload of waste to dump on me before I let go of the parking space obsession. CAREFUL WHAT I WISH FOR!

Live and learn.
LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
Always in the process of learning… Helen
www.lafolot.com
[this blog can also be seen at Vibrant Nation - a networking website for women over 50.]

TRI-FOCALS … UmmHmmm – I LIKE it! (…a Ha Ha Helen moment)

There’s a local art gallery near me that has monthly showings open to the public. It features a specific artist’s work; allows you to meet the other local artists; allows for mingling and networking, etc. It’s great, because you get to meet the artist whose original work you have purchased and tell them why YOU like it!

Since I’ve taken early retirement and am focusing on growing my own business; I’m not able to purchase additional art, but still like to go and mingle and be supportive. I’ve also reached a point in life, not having worn eyeglasses till I reached age 40 (for driving), that I have to wear tri-focals!

Tri-focals, what wonderful things! For someone who hadn’t worn glasses most their life, I can be a real fussy baby about having to wear them now. Originally, I just needed the additional help for ‘distance’ while driving, but now that I’ve reached 5* (ha ha) in Earth years *smile – I find the tri-focals are necessary.

So, there I was this past Saturday, mingling at the Art Gallery, networking, talking and joking with the various artists. Working the gallery owner so he’ll allow me to be a future featured, singer for an event; and I stopped to look at a painting hanging slightly above my height, on the wall.

So starts the Trifocal dance! I am moving my head in an upward and downward motion, trying to pick the best viewing lens to view the piece of art. Also, as I am stepping forward and backward, while moving my head up and down; I am trying to see the work of art clearly. This is a real challenge for someone not used to wearing glasses!

So, I am there, moving head up and down; walking forward and backward, getting a bit frustrated; when I notice the artist standing just back and to my right. He had a fellow artist standing next to him, as they watched me IN FULL ADMIRATION AND STUDY OF HIS PAINTING! So they thought…

Ha Ha! I know the young artist from having spoken to him before. He is a lovely soul and I DO like his work. I turned, smiled, laughed and said: “OH! You must think I am really into this painting?” “I guess, it looks like I am thinking: umm hmmm , umm hummm Yes! I LOVE it! – as I study the painting walking to and from and nodding Yes, Yes, umm hmm umm hmmm.” I am so sorry – it’s these darn trifocals! I can’t seem to get a good focus!” ha ha ha

Knowing me, he smiled and laughed. I said: ‘I guess I shouldn’t have said anything and allowed you to be thrilled with someone being in such admiration of your work! We all had a good laugh. I DID like the work!

So, once again, here’s to assumptions, comical as they may be! Trifocal challenges OR Umm Hmmm, YES! I LOVE IT!

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Living life in a-MAZE-ment!
www.lafolot.com
[This blog can also be seen at Vibrant Nation, a website for women over 50. It's full of wonderful information and sharing.]

BUILDING BLOCKS? (…a Highlighted Helen moment)

I think, sometimes, life throws blocks in our path to stir up the pot. It gets us to get out of a rut and change our direction; take a turn towards a different road.

Having taken early retirement in January of 2009, it’s been an adjustment working from home. It’s very easy to sleep in, lounge around in ‘jammies’, and get caught up in computer games or all day television show marathons!

I took the bull by the horns to help with the budget of both my money and time. I got rid of my television cable connection! But, the computer (while I use it for my business) is still there for the games; which are a great distraction when finding a reason not to work!

So, I had to laugh, this morning! I have had challenges with my internet service provider since I first went with them almost two years ago. It seems the internet connection goes down between 2:00-7:00am every day! Yes, I have called and called and called… did I say I called; over and over. This has not helped. Because I like the speed, extra services provided, and not wanting to have to change, I have stayed with them. Well, this morning, the connection was down till after 8:00am and continued to be unstable after that. [Oh! I also discovered a great use for GIBBERISH when trying to get past the electronic voice prompt, that won't allow you to talk to a live person. I started to talk nonsense/giggerish, which caused her to say: 'I'm sorry, I don't understand you.' This caused her to put me through to the Live Tech Support person queue!] HA HA!

Of course, I had plenty of other things to do! But my focus was on the internet connection. Yes, the thought came to mind: ‘Helen, this is a gift, now you can get focused on those non-internet, work related things you need to do. *cough, laugh, eh hem Right! Not getting the message, I phased out playing some non-internet computer games! I’m a tough one to get the hint!

So that was my first BLOCK of the day, trying to conk me on the head to give me the message to MOVE IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION! Step away from the computer, so to speak.

I decide to shower and then go to lunch and do grocery shopping. I had been putting off grocery shopping for 3 days. I conveniently kept forgetting. I was out of breakfast foods, this morning, as a result. So, I get myself out of the house and start to drive out of my condo development. It has a curved driveway with a stop sign at either exit. Well, second BLOCK! We have a condo owner who lives on the corner by the one exit. This woman has a habit of stopping people in their cars, leaning in their passenger windows and talking, talking, talking. This blocks the exit. So THERE SHE WAS, I had to beep my horn and she just looked at me. Finally, the driver pulled over a bit. The really funny thing is that there are many parking spaces where these people can pull in to talk to her, but they just sit at the exit by the stop sign.

So, grumbling as I was finally able to pull around her, I kept my mind, stopped at the stop sign and made use of the STOP and SMILE (taking a deep breath) technique at several other stop signs, once I started on my journey. I didn’t want to let the internet BLOCK and the driver talking BLOCK ruin my day.

I got to one of my favorite dining spots, ‘ISAACS’ and had a pleasant lunch. Upon leaving the restaurant, there was a car parked two spaces from me with the license plate: LAFNLAF I looked at it and HAD TO LAUGH and SMILE! I still wasn’t getting the messages about the BLOCKS, but I had to laugh that some sort of lesson or message was coming my way!

So I drive over to the grocery store and have a successful shopping experience. I even gave a Smiley Face bookmark to a cashier who smiled back at me when I was starting to exit the store! I told her about my smile campaign, being a laughter leader, etc.

BLOCK 3 – I’m trying to leave the store and there is a woman in front of me with a MEGA cart totally filled! She had to use all available muscles to push the cart. Glued to her side is her teenage daughter, tagging along as if behind a momma duck. As a result, the exit was very slow, due to the oversized, overstuffed cart, slow movement and the daughter in close proximity hugging her mother’s every move.

When I finally got to my car and unloaded my few groceries, just as I was unlocking my driver side door, a car pulls behind me BLOCKING my exit from my parking space! BLOCK 4! I look and it is a ‘senior gentleman’ sitting and waiting for specific parking space 3 spaces back from the main lane. It wasn’t a handicap spot, I guess he just wanted THAT particular spot. Problem was, the person in the space had an oversized, overstuffed cart and was slowly unloading their groceries. They weren’t even ready to pull out of their space! But, there he sat, waiting and waiting. I beeped to get his attention and signal him to move forward. He must have been hard of hearing, I beeped a second time and he continued to sit, determined to get his selected spot. Maybe it had sentimental value to him?

So, I started to get the gist of all the BLOCKS I was having fall into my path. I had received 4 BLOCKS thus far, today. Now that I have four blocks, I can actually start to BUILD on these blocks! Oh, yes! Another message I received was when I sat down to read my daily meditation while dining out for lunch. It mentioned about, you guessed it, interferences in life being opportunities! HA HA

So, I guess now I’m going to have to take all these ‘earlier seeming’ irritating BLOCKS; turn them into BUILDING BLOCKS, and see what interesting thing I can create out of them!

Excuse me, now I’m going to go play with my BUILDING BLOCKS! 

This has been a Highlighted Helen moment…
Live life in A-MAZE-MENT!
www.lafolot.com
[This blog can also be seen at Vibrant Nation, a website for women over 50. It's full of wonderful information and sharing.]

I am so excited!

On Sunday, February 21, 2010; I will offically head over the half-century mark for my age!

I feel I have done a very good job, thus far – living my life! There have been challenges, surprises, growth spurts (in many areas); and many awakened moments!

Being Ha Ha Helen, Highlighted Helen, Hollywood Helen (depending on my latest endeavor), I have decided to create a NEW indicator for how many ‘Earth-birth-years’ (ha ha) I have gone over the half-century mark!

Just like the ‘Artist formerly known as Prince’, when he created a symbol for himself versus a name; I have decided my new age indicator will be: drum roll ….

5*
As I go into the next ‘Earth-labeled-birth-year’ I am just going to add another STAR or ASTERISK!

How wonderful! As my body matures, and I continue to LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN! I will keep adding more stars, or more LIGHT!

So, next year I will be: 5**
The next year I will be: 5*** (I’ll just keep adding star light!)

JUST THINK! After awhile, I will be: 5********* I think I’ll be a super nova in ‘over 50′ years! HA HA!

Also, with 5 translating to the word HA, in Thai; my age will always start out with a laugh and then be followed with LOTS OF LIGHT!

So, with my creative, interesting, mind the way it is; I am officially creating the:

HA HA HELEN OF LAFOLOT – LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN! ENLIGHTENED GROWTH INDICATOR! AHAHAHAHAHAA*******

So, on Sunday – I am wishing myself a HAPPY 5*, and what the heck, I’ll add a few !!!!!!! on to that, too!

soon to be… HAPPY BIRTHDAY HA HA HELEN OF LAFOLOT …. 5*
LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
www.lafolot.com
…and may you live to be 5************************************************ and all YOUR dreams come true!
What a shining light we’ll all become!
[This blog can also be seen at Vibrant Nation, a website for women over 50. It's full of wonderful information and sharing.]

Being Ha Ha Helen, I often get the opportunity to ‘put my foot in my mouth’ on a daily basis!
This is also an example of how I don’t allow anything to stop me from talking to people I encounter when I’m out and about.

In keeping in line with my ‘Life is a Song in the Key of Love’ book, I practice what I preach. I openly approach people and talk to them, if I want to educate myself.

So, I went to my favoritie Thai Palace restaurant, for lunch. The restaurant wasn’t that crowded. I had set an intention to give ‘compliments’ to people, today. I encountered a woman sitting at a table and let her know the bright pink jacket she was wearing was beautiful! She thanked me and ended up wearing a beautiful smile with the jacket!

I then got to sit in one of my favorite booths, near a window with bright sunshine pouring in! Ahhh, feel the warmth! I was content. One of my favorite servers Heli, who happens to be from Indonesia, came back to take my order. Having talked to Heli quite a bit, I learned she is from Indonesia, is Budhist and is traveling back to Indonesia this Sunday, February 21, 2010 – due to the family going back to support a sick Aunt. I learned the family is very tight and supportive, because Heli had to give up finishing her last college class to make this trip. She will take the course after a year, when they return. The trip from Harrisburg, PA to Indonesia will be 24 hours long!

So, since we have had very cold weather and 2 major snow storms over the past two week, I openly asked Heli if the weather in Indonesia is warm? She noted it is warm there all the time. I told her I knew she’d be happy about that, because the cold and snow have really gotten to her!

As a result of our open conversation, a woman sitting with her husband at a booth two seats away from me joined in. Heli went to get my drink and the woman said: ‘Wow! Indonesia!’ Being Ha Ha Helen, I took the opportunity to pick up a conversation with them. I asked if they knew Heli was from Indonesia, they said they hadn’t know that.

I noticed the woman’s head was shaved. This is where I began to learn a valuable lesson, don’t make assumptions. Being a very empathetic person, and a teacher of Laughter Yoga/Wellness, I wanted to do something for the woman. I AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMED the woman was going through chemotherapy treatments or something of that sort. I knew I had some LAFOLOT supplies in my car, so I ran out to my Subaru Outback back hatch and put together a LAFOLOT FUN KIT! I wanted this woman to have ‘stess reliever pinwheels’, a ‘cheering flag’, a Live Life! Laugh Often! t-shirt, a ‘Live Life! Laugh Often!’ magnetic bumper display, etc etc. I wanted to give her all I could to help heal her through her challenge.

So – open mouth insert foot! I walk up to their table with my LAFOLOT Fun Kit and say: ‘Forgive my boldness, but are you going through chemotherapy?’ She responded: ‘No’ but that’s OK. I said: ‘Oh! Well! In that case, I teach laughter wellness and was going to give you this fun kit to help you through it all; but since you’re not – you may as well take it anyway!’ ha ha She laughed and smiled! She said: ‘SURE!’ I started to pull the stuff out and show her what she could do with all the items. She was THRILLED with her UNEXPECTED, SURPRISE GIFT!

So, being used to making a fool of myself, I just went back to my booth. I called over, “It’s like Christmas all over again!” She said: ‘Yes! It’s great!’ I said: ‘I teach the gift is in the giving, so if you want to pass any of it on, go right ahead!’ She said: ‘Can I contact you via your website?’ I said: ‘Yes!’

A few seconds later, she slightly turned back towards me in her booth seat and said: ‘I’m Budhist, by the way!’ I said, ‘Wow! Isn’t that great? This could be a great promotional slogan: Be Budhist, Get A Gift!’ She turned, and laughed, agreeing with me!
I told her it kinda reminded me of the ‘smiling Budha’s I have seen. She agreed.

So, it never hurts to just be open and ASK! Never know what it will get you. As a result of allowing myself to come across a bit foolish, I made her day with a LAFOLOT Fun Kit! I learned not to jump to conclusions just because someone has a shaved head, and – as a result! Here’s the great part! As she was leaving, she came back to me and gave me her business card. She is a newly established photographer: AMIDA Photography – Celebrating the Light [www.amidaphotography.com] She offered, in exhange for the fun kit I gave her, to take a complimentary business photograph of me!

How great is that! Be the type of person that openly approaches people and hands out gifts? Get a complimentary photograph. Be Budhist and sport a shaved head; get a gift! The other wonderful thing is, I got to practice the ‘Steve Wilson Principles of Good Hearted Living’ – Compliments and Forgiveness. I got to forgive myself, and being Budhist Amida openly accepted me ‘just as I was’ and SHE RECEIVED A GIFT! Talk about the practice of ‘being mindful and living in the present!’ I think she has it down pat!

So, as I discuss in my laughter yoga/wellness program; as well as in my book ‘Life is a Song in the Key of Love’ – open up and communicate. You never know what you’ll learn about someone. It may be awkward at first; but with good intentions, it all works out in the end!

Namaste’
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT …living in the moment
a.k.a. Highlighted Helen living BOLD and in Italics!

Feeling the love…

On my way to singing the music for a Sunday service UNITY Church in Palymra, PA (just outside of Hershey, PA) – I spotted a ROBIN!!! hopping around in a stream along with some starlings! What a thrill! Spring is just around the corner!

What a welcome relief after two weeks of 18 inches or more of snow! We’re expecting another 3 to 6 inches Monday and Tuesday; but that’s a ‘walk in the park’ after the dumploads we’ve received!

So if the Robin’s are feeling it is safe to come back to the area, I’m ‘feelin’ the love!’ ahahaha on Valentine’s Day!

I love singing at this Palmyra, PA Church because they are so warm and receiving of my music! I sang: ‘Perhaps Love’ by John Denver and ‘Love’s Divine’ by SEAL – both beautiful songs about giving, receiving and accepting/opening one’s self to love!

I felt like the moment in the GRINCH Christmas Special where it notes: ‘His heart grew so many times bigger, that day…” – because of the warm compliments and sharing of how the congregants felt hearing me sing! I felt like my heart was swelling with love and there was a golden glow radiating around me! I allowed myself to ‘FEEL THE LOVE’. One woman said she enjoyed hearing me sing; because my songs are personal and I share how they have impacted or express my own life experiences. THAT made me smile!

So here’s a plug for ‘Giving the GIFT of a Compliment’ as noted in Steve Wilson’s ‘Good Hearted Living’ principles.

During the service, a little boy didn’t want to leave his mom’s side to go to the Chidren’s Sunday school event. So, I gave him one of my Smiley Face LAFOLOT bookmarks and a popsicle stick with the words: ‘Reflect a Smile’ written on it along with a little round mirror glued to one end. It’s my latest promotional item to promote my talk called: REFLECTIONS

After the service, I headed out to lunch. The booth I was sitting in had an ‘open window’ looking into another booth. At one point, a toddler’s grandmother had corrected the little girl who was trying to get her hands on the salt and pepper shakers. I handed one of my bookmarks and Reflection popsicle sticks through the window opening into the other booth, for the grandmother to give to the little girl. A bit later, the little girl started to play ‘peek a boo’ with me into my booth. Guess she was: ‘Feeling the love!’ HA HA

Then, off to go grocery shopping. I keep my grocery list in my head by making up words out of the first letter of each item needed. I get a kick out of making up silly words. Today, it was: B BLAND ;o)

B=Berries (Cranberries)
B=Bananas
L=Litter (cat litter)
A=Apples
N=Nuts (slivered almonds)
D=Dressing (Salad dressing)

So – as I go shopping (something I don’t enjoy) I have to laugh or smile due to the silly phrase or words I make up to remember my grocery list! Guess I’m ‘saving a tree’ in the process as well as exercising my brain cells!

Then, on to fill up my gas tank, which was great because I had earned the 100 (plus) shopping points from the grocery store which got me 10 cents off per gallon (since the store sells gasoline, too!)

Due to the cold winds howling by the gas pumps (and, me not having worn ear muffs or brought a scarf) – I was standing there using my: ‘PORTABLE EAR MUFFS’ aka holding my gloved hands up to my ears to keep them warm! This made a man, who was putting air in his tires, look over and laugh at the silly pose I was striking at the gas pumps!

On my way home, I was sitting at the long traffic light, caught a young boy in an SUV looking over at me. I put on my clown nose and looked back over, he turned, saw me and tapped his mom on the shoulder. She looked over and started to laugh – just as their turning lane light changed.

So, for Valentines Day, I guess you could say I was ‘Feeling’ and ‘Sharing’ the LOVE!

This has been a series of HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT moments…
thank you very much!

www.lafolot.com

Ha Ha Helen … living in the moment..

I just LOVE talking to toddlers; or should I say ‘let them talk AT me, ’cause I have NO clue what they are saying!’

I was at my favorite Thai Palace restaurant this evening. There was only another couple there with their two kids.  I like sitting off in one of the ‘warmer’ rooms – away from the cold windows.  Hence, older toddler/boy decided to allow his Spider Man automatic vehicle into the room where I was dining.

With no one else around, I just started talking/playing with him. His toy vehicle – with Spider Man at the wheel – was slowly making its way across the room towards the restrooms…

I was stating boldly – Go! Spider Man! Go! Go! Go!
This caused the little boy to start to Chatter away at me in Toddler Talk.  I have no clue what he was saying – BUT – I have become Quite Proficient in keeping conversations going with these beautiful souls.

I just Nod, Raise my eyebrows in total interest and wonder, interject an occassional ‘Oh! Is that right?’ or ‘WOW!’ or ‘Ohhh Myyyyyy?’ depending on the inflection or tone of the Toddler talk.

It seems to work, because they’re always satisfied and they keep on talking away.  This was the case with the toddler/boy.

His mom got up and stood in the archway from the other room. She started to ask him not to bother me.  I let her know it was OK, I was having fun!  She had heard me ask him a few times, if he knew the Spider Man song?  She was telling him to ‘respond to the lady’s question.’  He was so busy talking, he didn’t really care WHAT I was saying! hahahaha

So, I start to sing him the Spider Man song:  Spider Man, Spider Man, does whatever a spider can… spins a web, any size… etc etc.
He just looked at me in stunned silence. HAHAHAHAHA

The mom said: ‘The song is different now, that’s the one I know, too.’  I laughed and said: Oh! I guess you don’t know the old people Spider Man song. 

Well, it didn’t phase the toddler-boy, he just kept jibber-jabbering away.  The funny part was – he would present his talk directly TO me – with a very determined look – telling me ALL SORTS of things. 

Heck if I know what any of it was!  His mom smiled occassionally getting a kick out of it.

At one point, his little toddler sister, named Riley – came in to join him, as well as the dad.

Little toddler-boy came over with his Spider Man all-terrain vehicle and pointed to an area near the steering wheel asking: What’s this?
I said: It’s the steering wheel.

Well – he wouldn’t buy it – it wasn’t enough.  ‘No!’ he said, pointing to the area in the MIDDLE of the steering wheel; ‘this’.
I said: ‘OH! THAT’S THE SUPER SPIDER SHOOTER!’   [hey, he caught me off guard.  I thought I did pretty well.] ha ha

He said: ‘WHAT does it DO?’
I said: ‘It spits out sticky spider web stuff to grab the cars in front of him.’

He bought it!  Am I good or what!

ahahahahahahaa
The mom thanked me.  I said, ‘No problem! Since the kids don’t have to come home with me, I have no problem PLAYING along while they’re here!’

Then – they were on their merry way…

Toddler Talk…. it’s all GIBBERISH to me.

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT
In the Moment….
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com
[This blog can also be read at Vibrant Nation under blogging name: Helenoflafolot]

Another Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT moment…

Being mindful, has its benefits! That’s for sure! Laughingly (for me), I’ve been getting familiar with Mindfulness Meditation. As I was practicing sitting in mindfull-awareness this past Sunday evening; I started at 6:28pm (Yes! I’m a clock watcher! ha ha)
Got in touch with what was going on with all my external and internal body parts, started to feel relaxed, yawned a few times, eyes teared to cleanse.. this is good, this is good… and – for some reason I opened my eyes –

there sat, my two male cats – at my feet – staring me down! ahahahhaahaaa (It was only 6:38pm!) Wow! I had done a whole 10 minutes! It must have been the electromagnetic, hypnotic, stare-down of my cats that pulled me out.
I guess no matter what – feline wishes for ‘GIVE ME ATTENTION, NOW!’ win out over The Buddha!

Speaking of the BENEFITS of mindfullness…
I have a VERY active, VERY creative mind! It runs 24/7! I love it! I get my best ideas while sitting on the toilet or laying in bed in the early waking hours; or even while dreaming! The mind is a fascinating thing!

So, I had to LAUGH, this morning – after finishing my shower.
I tend to have a ‘set’ routine and act Mind-LESSLY – ha ha vs. Mind-FULLY aware –
hence; when I exited the shower and noticed the tub more full of water than I felt was ‘a good thing’ -

I dashed out the bathroom door to get the plunger out of the hall closet, to see if the drain needed cleared.

Now keep in mind – STEP 2 of the process should have been – completely dry off. [good thing the doorbell didn't ring at this point!]
Well – having inserted a new step into the Mind-less process…
I dried (which would have been step 2)
Step 3 would have been to apply Body Powder…
so, keep in mind – we were now Mind-LESSLY at Step 4 – which is ‘Spray On Hair Gel’ (for that spikey look!)
So – I reach for the POWDER (formerly step 3) -
toss it into my hands (as if it is hair gel)
and just as I’m about to Run It Through My Hair – I stop! Thank Goodness!

I had to laugh! Being so robotic and mindless in my morning routine – I nearly powdered my hair!
The normal step after the Spray on Hair Gel would have been ‘Blow dry the hair’ –
I wonder – if I would have kept going – if I would have PLUGGED IN the Spray Gel Bottle and started a drying motion!

SO – Here is a plug for BEING MINDFULL in your daily activities! Ask my new buddy Joshua David O’Brien who teaches Mindfullness Meditation in the Central PA (USA) area – we’re all out on Facebook! What a party! ha ha

This has been another HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT moment
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com