LAFOLOT

I was blessed with a singing gig at a local assisted living center, this past St Patrick’s Day. While my last gig there on Labor Day had a ‘robust’ audience; this one was subdued. Being a performer, THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

So, I gave it my all! After I was done, I mingled with the senior residents a bit and met a woman named MAXINE. Yes! Maxine! I could have SWORN she was the MAXINE the cartoon is modeled after! What a W.O.W! Woman of Wonder!

I note at the top of my website: ‘A Little Kindness Goes a Long Way …’ Well, MAXINE was not only a spunky, W.O.W. woman; but full of compliments and kindness!

Maxine was just visiting for the day. She had come by to spend time with her husband, who is a resident there, and to ENJOY THE Helen of Lafolot show!

Maxine informed me she had taken piano, and voice lessons for a good many years and later BECAME a voice teacher. So, when I walked over and Maxine FREELY piped up: ‘You have a BEAUTIFUL voice! You have a very BROAD range!’ I was dumb struck!

I said to Maxine – WOW! YOU not only MADE MY DAY – you MADE MY LIFE! She responded with a smile and further affirmation. When she told me her background; I told her about my ‘little kindess goes a long way’ affirmation. I told her I had been feeling doubtful about my talents and struggling with ‘getting gigs’. I told her it meant SO MUCH that she had felt free to TELL ME how she felt about my singing.

Then she said: ‘I TELL IT LIKE IT IS!’ A TRUE Maxine!

I told her of other meetings I had with people where I had only met them for a matter of seconds or minutes; and how they had GREATLY impacted my life. I told her about Mary Cop – the Cart Lady from Harrisburg – another W.O.W.! woman I talk about in my Bea Gaude’ video. I told her about another woman I had met, who recently died of cancer. When I had met this woman months before, she never mentioned she had cancer. She was full of kindess and praise and booked me for an event! I didn’t find out till December that she had passed. I wrote a blog about her. She left a lasting impression on me, just from a few minute meeting!

I let her know I would never forget her. We talked about how we can go through our entire lives not knowing how STRONGLY we impacted another life. I wanted her to know she had made a big impact on me!

Here’s to all the MAXINE’s in the world who TELL IT LIKE IT IS!

May you be FREELY FLOWING with your compliments and have an instant impact on all those you meet, in a positive way! Just like MAXINE!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
O.S.E. – Outlook Shift Engineer
Living Life in AH! MAZEMENT!
Live Life! Laugh Often!

I was doing my usual, inefficient food shopping trip … (I go frequently; because I love to mix and mingle with people when I shop!)

I was maneuvering my cart up the Pet Food aisle when I heard a woman give the COMMAND to her husband:

STAY! there (he was in charge of the oversized shopping cart)

She turned and saw me and I said: ‘I’m sorry, I’m laughing and smiling – what an appropriate COMMAND for the Pet Aisle!’ She laughed as she whizzed past me to get an item she had forgotten; and her husband turned, saw me and laughed and smiled also.

I LOVED IT! Is THIS the secret to a long healthy marriage? Able to HAVE FUN while shopping and laugh with one another?

I told them, ‘Oh My!’ I’m a laughter wellness instructor and a humorist writer; you just don’t KNOW all the stuff that’s running through my head right now!’ We went in different directions with our carts.

Oh, YES, she DID release her husband from the STAY! command.

So I headed for the Self-Scan checkout. All the stations were being used. A nice gentleman saw me with my 3 items and pulled his slightly more filled cart back and said: Here, you can have this one.

I started to moved forward, thanking him, when I saw there was a woman there who had JUST PRODUCED her store SHOPPER CARD for discounts. She looked up momentarily confused; I looked and then he said:

‘I DIDN’T KNOW HOW LONG SHE WAS GONNA TAKE SO I FIGURED YOU COULD GO!’

She had a VERY LARGE-OVERSIZED purse and must have been DIGGING for the discount card for awhile.

I stopped, laughed and said: ‘OH, messing with me were ya!?’
She looked then, laughed and said: ‘IS HE STARTING AGAIN!’ LOL!

I told them what had JUST happened in the Pet aisle with the SIT! STAY! command.
They laughed. I said: Must be the day for SILLY SPOUSE SHOPPERS in the store!

So, I’m wondering, being single … is THIS the SECRET to a happy marriage?

The SILLY SPOUSE SHOPPER METHOD? Hey! It’s worth a try? I’m not DEAR ABBY – but it seems to be working for these couples! I’m just sayin’ … ha ha

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.com
Live Life! Laugh Often! and do some silly shopping once in a while .. it’s healthy!
Live Life in Ah! Mazement!
Attention shoppers, attention shoppers… MOOD PICK-YOU-UP in aisle 5!

I had the PLEASURE of being the Wal-Mart Greeter, uh I mean the Indoor Yard Sale Greeter at a church this past Saturday! Besides advertising my LAFOLOT wellness and motivational speaking services; I brought some items to sell and assigned myself as ‘official greeter’ and ‘buyer motivator!’

As time went on, some of the children came over to meet me due to my Tinsel Deely Bobber Headbands I wear and my colorful LAFOLOT display. One child informed me she was in 1st grade! Could have fooled me! I thought I was speaking to a college woman!

This child (youn lady) was amazing! Her command of the English language, grammar, choice of words and thought process had me feel I was speaking to a young woman in college! I was SO impressed with her, I let her know! I also gave her a complimentary stress-reliever pinwheel! OK, to her it was a toy.

Well, she brought 3 of her ‘friends’ back with her; they comfortably SMOOSHED themselves onto the church lobby sofa across from my display. They THEN announced: ‘You don’t have to greet anyone any more, WE’LL take over!’

LOL! I smiled and said: OK!
Well, Ms. College Level 1st Grader AMAZINGLY coordinated their routine! It was wonderful to watch. They started to announce V E R Y L O U D L Y, everytime someone walked through the doors: (think megaphone in unison)

‘WELCOME TO THE YARD SALE!’ The person would be KNOCKED OFF THEIR FEET, then laugh and smile.

Then, as the people were exiting, the girls started to announce: BYE BYE TO THE YARD SALE!

I wanted to help out, so I kindly offered a different phrase such as: Thank you for shopping at the yard sale.

WELL NOW! LOL! Ms. College Level 1st Grader replied: ‘Sure! But BYE BYE TO THE YARD SALE is A LOT FUNNIER and ….

(and I call MYSELF a certified laughter leader!)

she continued … and LAUGHTER IS GOOD FOR YOU!

Well shut my mouth! From the mouth of babes!

You never know where you’ll get the wisdom of the ages –
sometimes it’s from a 7 year old going on 19!

Open your eyes and open your ears – you never know what your gonna hears!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Living Life in AH! MAZEMENT!
Learning from the MASTERS of the Universe – Children!

While at a ‘quick checkout’ at the grocery store, after a young gentleman noted to his buddy that he needed a penny to finish his payment, he said: ‘Pennies don’t have any value any longer, I wonder why we still use them?’

Being openly friendly when out in public, I turned, smiled and said: ‘Ohhh! But they have GREAT value! When you FIND a LUCKY PENNY, and you give it away to someone else the penny becomes PRICELESS!’ The gift is in the giving.

He smiled, agreed with me and repeated as he wheeled his cart out past me, PRICELESS!

Value, worth, of ourselves or an object – it’s all in how you LOOK at it.

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
Specializing in rePHRESING thoughts and New Outlooks!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Live Life in AH! Mazement!
www.lafolot.com

As part of my DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY and SMILE CAMPAIGN, whenever I come to a stop at a long intersection traffic light, I put my red clown nose on, roll down the car window and stare at the car to the left or right.

Sometimes, I get a smile, sometimes I get a laugh, sometimes I get a straight, nonresponsive stare. All responses are OK! I encourage people to BE themselves!

Well, I need to make a personal note NOT to do this AFTER DUSK!

I came to a long traffic light intersection, saw a teenager sitting in the back seat with his parents in the front seats. I put on my red nose, rolled down the car window and looked at ‘the kid’ since their car was pulled up a bit farther than mine.

Uh oh! no response! I scared the young guy! The dad looks over and I SMILE with my clown nose on. He just looks flatly at me and alerts his wife! She looks over from the driving seat – the light changes and THEY TAKE OFF!

Laugh out Loud! Oh my! I guess they didn’t see my LAFOLOT.COM magnetic advertising sign on the side of my car; due to being pulled up farther than my car!

What can I say! I wonder if they were thinking, as they drove off into the sunset …. ‘Who WAS that Red-Nosed Woman?’

note to self: play drive yourself happy and smile campaign BEFORE the sun starts to go down.

Oh well …. it’s a DEEP subject!

HA H Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.com
Live and Learn and LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
Living life in AH! Mazement!
Silly me …

I am always living life in AHHHH! MAZEMENT! Especially about the SYN-CHRO-NIC-I-TEE Hee hee hee hee hee!

I gave a talk/workshop title ‘WHO, ARE YOU?’ who who who who? Do really wanna know? (lyrics by The WHO). I was at a Wild and Wonderful Day Away for Women sponsored by Pinnacle Health and GIANT.

During my talk, I mention becoming PEER POSITIVE and letting go of the PEER PRESSURE, releasing the Hot Air *hssssssss

I apply my TIME 2 LAUGH strategy of looking at DIGITAL numbers – upside down and backward on a digital clock. So, when it is 5:54 – if you turn a calculator or digital display upside down; the 4 looks like a lower-case ‘h’ and the two 5s look like ‘S’ ‘S’ – so it would spell hSS (like letting the air out of balloon).

After the talk/workshop was finished, I decided to take my ‘morning workshop’ STUFF out to my car; to get ready for the afternoon laughter workshop.

WELL! TO WHAT DID MY WONDERING EYES APPEAR! ‘GO FIGURE!’ as my character Ilonka Szollosi would say! My DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY license plate game jumped out at me!

The car parked DIRECTLY to the right of me had a license plate that started out with the letters – 455 – a MIRROR image of my hSS!

SOME DAYS I REALLLLLY THINK SOMEONE’S ‘OUT THERE’ MESSING WITH ME!

GOTTA LOVE THE SYN-CHRO-NI-CI-TEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
Living life in TOTAL AHHHH! MAZEMENT!