LAFOLOT

What a W.O.W. (World of Wonder!) moment I had at lunch!

I had stopped into a local SUBWAY owned by a business connection, Kathy George. For a Sunday, there was a crowd! I frequent this SUBWAY because Kathy’s manager, Alicia, put my HA HA HELEN of LAFOLOT picture on an 8 1/2 x 11 poster to help promote HEALTHY LAUGHTER along with SUBWAY’s Healthy Eating!

There was a couple with their daughter and her friend, in the line in front of me. The ‘girls’ were having fun picking out their sandwhich combinations. The daughter had on fun toe nail polish and had painted one foot! They were fun, free spirits! I loved it! They were SO POLITE! The daughter took time to ‘apologize’ to me for holding up the line! WHAT A GREAT SOUL! A TEENAGER! I said: ‘No problem! I’m in no hurry! Besides – THAT’S MY PHOTO UP THERE ON THE SIGN BY THE DOOR!

I pulled a couple bright yellow, LAFOLOT bookmarks out of my purse and gave one to the girl and her friend. I noted: I’m HA HA HELEN and on the back of the bookmark, it explains my SMILE CAMPAIGN! I told them: Whenever I give a smile and someone smiles back, I GIVE MYSELF A POINT! They smiled/laughed/thanked me and moved on.

After they paid, I made sure to tell ‘the mom’ I had given them bookmarks and gave her one so she would know where they got theirs, etc.

They family sat down to finish their sandwhiches. As they got up to leave, I smiled at the girl who smiled back. Her friend was directly behind her. The young girl stated loudly: I GOT ONE POINT!

W.O.W!!! My whole world lit up! My whole day had been turned around! I sat there in AH! MAZEMENT! with the BRIGHTEST SMILE ON MY FACE!

Without going into detail – I and other members of my family are very stressed at the moment dealing with a mom in hospice as well as an older, brain damaged sister in crisis.

This PRICELESS, SPECIAL MOMENT TURNED IT AROUND! I just SAT there in AWE!

I sometimes question, struggling financially at the moment, whether I should just CHUCK it all and go back to a cubicle job to pay off debt, bills, etc.

Then – something like this happens and I realize I’m following my PURPOSE!

As I walked to my car (LAFOLOT MOBILE) – I had to walk past the family’s SUV as ‘the mom’ was getting in the vehicle. I saw ‘the dad’s’ face and I SMILED! He smiled back. The back windows were open where the two girls were sitting.

I ANNOUNCED: ONE POINT!

As I made my way around the vehicle to get to my car – the back window rolled down and the daughter smiled at me announcing: I’M UP TO FIVE POINTS!

What can I say! I HAD SOLD HER ON THE BEAUTY OF THE IDEA! SHE APPROVED OF THE HA HA HELEN SMILE CAMPAIGN – POINTS GAME!

I told her: Do you want to know what I do with all my points? On a day when I can’t find my smile; and someone smiles at me first – KA CHING! I CASH THEM IN! She smiled broadly at the idea as they drove away.

ONE POINT! I THOUGHT! – and I let out a loud YES! YAHOO! YEAHHHH! WITH A BIG SMILE – AS I DROVE AWAY!

HA HA HELEN Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM – OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Lighting up the world – ONE SMILE AT A TIME!
Join HA HA HELEN’S SMILE CAMPAIGN! E-MAIL ME AND TELL ME ABOUT YOUR RESULTS!
IT DOESN’T COST ANYTHING! JUST SHARE YOUR SMILES!

A couple weeks ago, I was driving down Simpson Ferry Rd – feeling a bit ‘bummed out’. Then, SUDDENLY THERE APPEARED, was it? could it be? YES! It was SUPER MARIO dancing and waving a sign on the side of the road!

A BIG SMILE appeared on my face! My 2 year old – inner child self popped out and I ‘BEEEP BEEP BEEEPed!’ and *Waved!!!!!

Super Mario (OK – it was a person in a costume) – did a little dance for me and waved! *woo hoo! I HAD FOUND MY SMILE, AGAIN! A local business was opening and doing a good job at getting DRIVE BY traffic to notice!

A couple days later, I was headed in the opposite direction on the same road. Just as I got to the CVS parking lot – I saw A LIVING BREATHING, WAVING ICE CREAM CONE outside a business! What did I do? YOU GESSED IT! *big smile! *wave and BEEEP BEEP BEEP! The ice cream cone was happy to wave back at me! IT MADE MY DAY! What can I say! *hee hee

When I parked and got out of my car, I saw a man approaching the ‘ADVERTISING ICE CREAM CONE’ character – I called out across the street: WATCH OUT FOR THE ICE CREAM CONE! *laugh out loud … what can I say – no – they didn’t run – and I got a smile out of the man.

Nothing like giving and receiving healthy smiles to turn a person’s day around!

Years back, whenever I would drive by Manor Care Facility across from West Shore Plaza, Leymoyne – there would be a man in a wheelchair – on the sidewalk outside the building. As traffic drove by, he would wave! After I saw him once, I would purposely take that route and make sure to beep and smile as I drove by. He would smile and wave back! It was like my DAILY PICK-ME-UP! I LOVED IT! What a wonderful purpose he had taken on! I asked other people and they knew and appreciated him, too! Priceless!

Late last Summer – I got to do the same along the road outside Thai Palace Restaurant in Camp Hill – Market St. During rush our – I put up a sign that read: SMILE! YOU’RE GREAT! I would sit in a lawn chair, holding/waving my Smile Spatula – people would drive by, beep and wave! Some people even pulled out of traffic to come over and ask me what I was doing?

I told them I used to work in an office cubicle, I knew what it was like to do that all day; and that I wanted to GIVE people a BOOST as they drove home in rush hour traffic. Sometimes you could go for days or months without any positive feedback from office peers or superiors. So what happened? It was hilarious! Twice, the Dairy Queen employees from across the road came over to take their photos with me! HA HA!

One person drove by and held their camcorder out an open car window to film me! A hawk stopped by on the power pole a couple times. I think it needed a Smile, Laugh or Motivational Statement, too!

ROADSIDE PERFORMANCE ART – think about it – these folks are SWEATING in these HOT COSTUMES – dancing, waving, etc. Why NOT give them a beep or a wave and BOOST YOUR OWN spirit in the process!

I always get a kick out of how ANIMATED they get and happy when someone notices them! DOES A BODY GOOD!

Nothing to do this summer? Why not put a GREAT MESSAGE on a sign, sit along side the road and wave! Maybe you’ll get on You Tube or one of the Morning shows! You’re never too old to start Roadside Performance Art! All you do is let out your inner-child!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.com a.k.a. Hollywood Helen

Living Life! Laughing Often!

Being a ‘professional’ (HA HA) laugher – it’s interesting when I’m ‘out in public’ and I’m BEING HUMAN! I tell people, ‘I teach what I need to learn and share because I care!’
I ventured out to see the HARRY POTTER final movie, yesterday.

I checked the theatres and times before I left home. I even purchased my ticket ON-LINE so I wouldn’t have to wait. I left my house early, as the theatre-tickets sight suggested. HA HA HA – THE JOKE WAS ON ME! I’m smiling – because these situations give me GREAT IDEAS for talks and blogs!

I get in line to present my ‘printed proof of ticket purchase.’ There are only 2 ticket buyers in front of me. The show starts at 1:00pm and it’s 12:45pm. I hear the man (with his wife and one kid) at the ticket window. He states: ‘I’d like 7 tickets for the 4:15pm Harry Potter movie.’ Well – 5 minutes go by and he is still at the window and the line isn’t moving????

Yes – I’m getting CURIOUS – it’s HOT – it’s HUMID – I’m MENOPAUSAL – enough said. *smile!

Finally – another employee comes to the second ticket window and sells one ticket – but – YEP – YOU GUESSED IT! THERE’S A PROBLEM! HA HA HA HA HA (no – I wasn’t laughing – but I had to keep myself in check) – I’m HA HA HELEN! of LAFOLOT! *smile

So I say to the mother and son in front of me, in line: ‘I worked at a theatre box office when I was in highschool. All you did was give the money and get the ticket, I’m not understanding what’s going on?’ Basically – there are SO MANY PURCHASE options nowadays, etc. – you can’t just easily walk up and buy a ticket! Evidently, the man buying the 7 tickets had made use of ‘a bunch of options’ from ON-LINE deals, so it was taking the window clerk a long time to process it.

The woman and her son BEHIND me in line said out loud: ‘OH! YOU’VE JUST GOTTA LAUGH!’ I turned around, SMILED and showed her the front of my t-shirt; it noted: FLASH someone a SMILE! www.LAFOLOT.com I said to her: Hey! I’m a PROFESSIONAL Laugher – I TEACH this stuff – and I’M having a bit of trouble! Of course the LAUGHTER was helping us to deal with it.

FINALLY – I was NEXT at the opposite ticket purchase window. Yes – the man buying the 7 tickets for 4:15pm was still waiting for a result on his request. *SMILE BIG! HA HA

What happens? I walk up to the window and the girl starts to walk away! My eyes go big and I quickly step back – concerned I’ll lose my place in line! She says: No, it’s OK – I’m just changing the printer paper.

OHHH! NOOOO! Not that – my mind is saying inside as I keep a straight face.

She takes my PROOF OF PURCHASE printout, my credit card and driver’s license as proof and HITS PRINT on the computer.

OK – GUESS WHAT HAPPENED! OH COME ON! *SMILE! THE PRINTER DIDN’T WORK! No entrance ticket for me!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA – OK, today, at this moment, I’m NOW LAUGHING!

She says: It’s OK – as she sees my eyes go big and my face frozen. I’m realllly trying, really am.

She says: Go ahead in, I’ll let them know it’s OK, you’re OK to go. Ask me why I wasn’t TRUSTING at this point?

YES! I made it in! It was like making a goal at a Football, Hockey or Soccer game!

My INNER-CHILD WAS ROARING! Yes! I had made it past THE DEMENTORS!

THIS HARRY POTTER FAN – a.k.a. GRIFFINDOR SCHOOL – wise woman had OVERCOME the OBSTACLES and TRIUMPHED above the evil ticket window gremlins!- by the way – THE MOVIE ROCKED! YES! WOO HOO! Loved Mrs. Weasley and Neville Longbottom in the movie!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.com – Living, Learning and Laughing … through it all.

BUZZ! …hmm? key of Bee?
by: Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Ever see the 1974 Mel Brooks movie: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN?

There’s a scene in the movie between The Frankenstein Monster (Peter Boyle) and Dr. Frankenstein’s high society girl friend (Madeline Kahn). She’s in her bedroom and the Frankenstein monster vocalizes HMMM. She responds: hmm? This goes back and forth (hilarious) till she SEEs him!! … she remarks – WHAT A BIG – insert your own term here! LOL! Then she starts singing: “Ohhhhh! Sweet mystery of life at last I found thee!’

Well! Today! of ALL PLACES! I was REMINDED of that scene while …. YES! Looking for the best LAFOLOT t-shirt while ‘out and about’ today! ha ha!

So I’m moving shirts side to side in my closet. No – not this one. No – not this one. Oh … I don’t know …. HMMMM!

WHAT?

HMMM!

Was my stomache growling? I moved the shirts back and forth – HMMMMM!!!!!

WHAT!? No – it wasn’t my stomache… Oh my Gawd! HMMMM! A BEEEEEEE!

I dry my laundry on my wonderful SOLAR POWERED CLOTHES DRYING DEVICE I ‘personally erected’ last Summer! I’m quite proud of myself! Thank you very much!

Well! I guess I unknowningly brought a ‘guest’ into the house – that got ‘cozily’ STUCK in one of my shirts! Poor thing must have been stuck in the shirt in the closet for a couple days!

So! Not knowing WHICH shirt had the HMMMMM!!!!! I take a bunch of shirts on hangers and run them out the back door – draping them over the step railing. I didn’t know how ANGRY the HMMMM! was!

So then I went back in the house and put on my top – YEP! I only had my bra on – but when I’m messing with an angry HMMMM! I’m not concerned. Hey! It’s the same as a bathing suit top!

So I run back in and put on a top and put on shoes. Then I go back out. S l o w l y starts the process of figuring out WHICH top had the HMMMM! in it!

*Pfew! Luckily! It was the second top I G E N T L Y opened and peered into. LUCKILY! It was one of those big, mostly black in color – bumble bees – that fly slowly around – not aggressive. I slightly open and gently place the top on the grass – talking the trapped HMMMM! out of the shirt. Thankfully, it found its way out and slowly buzzed off into the field behind my home!

Laughing out loud – I’m thanking the HMMMM! for reminding me of that CLASSIC SCENCE from YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) Mel Brooks version, with Madeline Kahn and Peter Boyle.

Ohhhhhhh! Sweet mystery of life at last I found thee! Wonder if it’s an omen or premonition? HMMMMMMMMM?????????

LOVE it when LIFE gives you these moments! BEE-utiful!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM

Living Life! and Laughing Often!

A little kindness goes a long way – especially for grateful bees.