Switched the Channel
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.]
Tags: angels, communication, Connecting, Ha Ha Helen, Harrisburg, Healing, health and wellness, lafolot, Laughter, laughter therapy, mindfullness, smile, stress relief, Wellness, Women
