Archive for the ‘Ha Ha Helen Blog’ Category
Interior re-Designer of PHresh Outlooks!
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
It’s AH! MAZING! that I studied Interior Design ‘PH’resh out of Highschool at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh PA … and at age 52 I’m helping people re-DESIGN their physical interiors to achieve a PHresh, Healthy Outlook on Life!
As an interior design student, my focus was on ‘Design your rooms the way YOU want to use them – NOT the way Society tells you to use them!’ For example, if you want a pool table in what others would call the ‘Living Room’ – DO IT! I’ll ‘make it work for you’ in a functional, aesthetically pleasing way! In one of my homes, I created a MUSIC and MOVEMENT room in what would ‘NORMALLY’ (according to society) have been the DINING ROOM. I had no need for a dining room – so I designed a room to practice my clarinet, my singing, and exercise!
As a STUDENT OF LIFE, I now see how re-DESIGNING, re-LOOKING, re-PHRESHING how I see life experiences gives me a HEALTHY OUTLOOK! It allows me to MOVE FORWARD rather than STAGNATE!
My final project as an interior design student, was a living environment for Family Units with VARIED PHYSICAL NEEDS AND ABILITIES! I designed an aesthetically pleasing, functional living space with MOBILITY space and height varying work surfaces! Make the SPACE fit the USERS – not the USERS having to ADJUST to fit and use the space!
It’s AH! MAZING! because my book: LIFE IS A SONG IN THE KEY OF LOVE talks about this exact thing! My motivational/inspirational talks: PEER POSITIVE, WHY vs WOW!, REFLECTIONS, and WHO ARE YOU? all focus on this same theme – BEing who you are without judgment, and FLOWING easily through life with EASE of movement forward.
Who is NORM? anyway? There is NO NORM – only CREATIVITY to make physical spaces work for everyone! Let go of the PEER pressure and be PEER POSITIVE! Create POSSIBILITIES and not IMPROBABILITES!
I’m LIVING MY LIFE THEME of MAKING LIFE A SONG! DISing the disability falsehood and saying: LOOK OUT! IT’S LIFE! WITH A PHresh OUTLOOK! In Star Trek ‘The Next Generation’ the common phrase of FEAR from the crew, regarding THE BORG, was: THEY’VE ADAPTED! Make it a positive! HUMANS have the ABILITY to ADAPT!
Ha Ha Helen Szollosy, Interior re-DESIGNER
Outlook Shift Engineer! Hear! Here!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com
GO2 ZERO … ZAPP!
Monday, January 16th, 2012
I had a wonderful PRESENT SELF-DISCOVERY moment, today! While I was driving down the road, a SPIRITUAL RIDDLE unraveled its CLUES on Personalized License Plates driving to the right of me!
The first one read: GO2 ZERO
The 2nd one read: ZAPP
AH! HA! and AH! MAZING! Go BACK to the Beginning, RESET my views and perceptions and LOOK OUT! IT’S LIFE! WITH A PHresh Outlook!
I LEARN by my Judgements and Perceptions of others! How interesting is THAT? Ah! Yes! The OLD MIRROR TRICK! It’s ALL done with MIRRORS! What PEOPLE MIRROR back at ME!
I’ve been laughing lately, at how people respond with a NEGATIVE or WORRY statement when I shared a happy or excited thought about the PRESENT MOMENT.
For example:
I say: ‘Isn’t it a BEAUTIFUL, unusually mild, pleasant winter day?’
They say: ‘Yes, but it’s supposed to get COLD tomorrow!’
I say: ‘Wow! Look at that beautiful sky! Look at those Interesting Cloud Patterns!’
They say: ‘Sure – BUT IT’S COLD!’
I received these two responses in the past two weeks. I have to smile and chuckle when I get the response OUT OF THE PRESENT MOMENT – projecting into a more dismal, negative future.
The GIFT of the PRESENT – AH! YES!
The GIFT of BEING in the MOMENT!
I’ve been stating two affirmations on a regular basis, the past week:
“I HAVE IT SO GOOD!” “I AM SO BLESSED!”
Then, while DRIVING MYSELF HAPPY in my car, I realized all these WONDERFUL TEACHERS have been walking across my path – giving me OPPOSITE ANSWERS – AFFIRMING MY AFFIRMATIONS!
YES! I ‘do’ have it so good! YES! I ‘am’ blessed!
I am SEEING the beautiful sky.
I am FEELING the beautiful weather.
I am AWARE of and GRATEFUL for these things!
I HAVE IT SO GOOD! I AM SO BLESSED!
I had been reviewing the PAST, a lot, lately! For some reason, recalling A LOT of life occurrences from my childhood, teens, early adulthood. I even had PEOPLE with who I worked in my early adulthood – SHOWING UP IN MY LIFE! I thought this ALL SO ODD! SO AMAZING!
Today, with two license plates: GO2 ZERO and ZAPP it all came together into the PRESENT MOMENT! What a GIFT!
Go back – rePHRESH my views – and FOCUS ON THE PRESENT, it’s a GIFT!
W.O.W.! World of Wonder!
Have to LAUGH!
Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Live in AH! MAZEMENT!
WORLD CHALLENGE! SMILE CAMPAIGN!
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
WORLD CHALLENGE! I DOUBLE-DARE ‘YA!
TRY MY HA HA HELEN OF LAFOLOT.COM ‘SMILE-CAMPAIGN’ GAME; AND LET ME KNOW HOW MANY POINTS YOU RECEIVED!
WWW.LAFOLOT.COM/SMILE-CAMPAIGN/
LET’S LIGHT THE WORLD WITH SMILES!
JUST SHARE A SIMPLE, CLOSED MOUTH SMILE WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU PASS, TODAY – -
WATCH – IN AHHHH! MAZEMENT! AT HOW MANY – TOTAL STRANGERS – RETURN THE SMILE!
WATCH – IN AHHHH! MAZEMENT! AS THEY RESPOND … HI! HELLO! HOW ARE YOU! –
WATCH – IN AHHHHH! MAZEMENT! AS THEIR BODIES STAND TALLER AS THEY RECEIVE THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF BEING NOTICED – AND SELF-WORTH!
LET THEM KNOW THAT – YOU JUST EARNED ME A POINT! AND SHARE THE GAME WITH THEM –
TELL THEM IT’S HA HA HELEN OF LAFOLOT’S WORLD-CHALLENGE – SMILE-CAMPAIGN GAME!
LIGHT THE WORLD WITH SMILES!
SPREAD SMILES BY THE MILES!
THEY’RE HEALTHY, YOU KNOW! and they WAKE UP BRAIN CELLS!
TRY IT – AND LET ME KNOW HOW YOU DID!
LIGHT THE WORLD WITH SMILE POWER!
Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT.com
OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER! Hear! Here!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Your Bill is Paid
Saturday, December 24th, 2011
‘Your Bill is Paid’ said the server at FRIENDLY’s, once I had finished my meal. It just happens to be CHRISTMAS EVE as I write this.
I said: “WHAT!?” I looked around, thinking it was the Manager, or the server, or another server – since they know me from dining there frequently.
Then the server indicated towards an empty booth near the window. She said: “It was the family who had been dining over there.” She was smiling.
I said: ‘WOW! My heart is TOUCHED!’ … ‘I wish I could have thanked them! … I’ll have to BLOG about it!’ She smiled and nodded, a warmth in her eyes as they twinkled.
WOW! I told her: ‘I have to laugh! People see me dining alone and sometimes feel sorry for me. I LOVE to go places on my own! I like meeting people! I’ve gone on a cruise and other vacations on my own; because I enjoy meeting people and am a free spirit!’ She agreed, and said she is the same way.
I had been ‘playing’ with customers with kids as they came in the door of the restaurant, by putting on my clown nose as they walked in.
I had to laugh! I had ordered a SENIOR menu item (they allow it at this restaurant, even though I’m 52). The cost is less and I don’t eat a lot. I had just ordered a FISHAMAJIG! But, I have to tell you – it’s the MOST PRICELESS Fishamajig I’ve ever had!
I am truly heart-warmed by THE THOUGHT that went through this family’s mind and heart as they MADE THAT DECISION. I noticed they had a little boy with them, around age 6 to 8 years. What a WONDERFUL lesson, a priceless lesson they taught that child!
What a WONDERFUL gift of WARMTH and GOOD-HEALTH they gave themselves by this PRICELESS act!
I was ‘where I wanted to be’, ‘doing what I wanted to do’, ‘being, where I wanted to be’ …freely being me – and I GOT MY MEAL FOR FREE! TEE HEE HEE!
I’m sending out a positive thought, positive prayer and gratitude and warmth towards this beautiful, kind family.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!
Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
Outlook Shift Engineer! Hear! Here!
Fruitcake Life Lessons
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
I have a beautifully witty, creative, kind friend who has shared the following story with me:
As a young child, in school, there was a holiday gift exchange. After the class picked their gift packages, another girl in the glass announced to the teacher: ‘I GOT MY OWN GIFT! THE ONE THAT I BROUGHT!’ Without ‘skipping a beat’, ‘without asking’ – the teacher told the girl to ‘JUST TRADE YOUR GIFT WITH (my friend’s name omitted). My friend noted she opened her gift to find A FRUIT CAKE! The girl who had FREELY given up the gift she brought in, got a wonderful, creative kit to play with and have fun!
My friend notes that THAT moment (jokingly) defined her life. My friend has a HIGHLY CREATIVE mind and EXCELLENT WIT!
OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEERING, now starts …
As an adult – we wonder WHAT the teacher was thinking!? I often note, just because a person is of a certain age, doesn’t mean they are able to ‘act as an adult’. Not always because of mental/emotional ability. Was the teacher Frazzled? Exhausted? Just wasn’t thinking… ??? who knows? Too bad we can’t ask “WHO” … BECAUSE “WHO” seems to be the one WHO knows the answers … now that I think about it! *smile Wonder where ‘WHO’ lives? Gonna have to look into that. Seems just like SANTA – maybe WHO lives at the South Pole?
As an adult – we look back and see that the ‘Other Girl’ might have known that her gift WAS the FRUITCAKE, and in no way wanted it! Maybe not, maybe her parent didn’t tell her what had been wrapped and she was trying to BE HONEST? Who knows … (I’m being fair in my outlook shift engineering view.)
So we fast forward in life, you have the girl that gave up the fruitcake …
you have my Creative-Minded, Beautiful, Witty ACTRESS friend who is GREAT with seeing life from an INTERESTING perspective, and being able to write and chuckle about it.
We all play these roles in impacting one another’s lives. I had MY instances, as a child, where ‘the other girl’ got the good stuff. I could share many stories. One of those girls in MY childhood, who seemed to ‘have it all’, lost her older brother to drugs in College – so even though she was an Honors student, she went into a clerical field seeing that College does bad things to people. Interesting how life turns out.
These FRUITCAKE Life Lessons – give us the opportunity to look back at this time of year and be GRATEFUL. Even if we are FULL of FRUITCAKE and sick of it.
I’m thinking my friend DIDN’T NEED the CREATIVE FUN KIT – because she was already Witty, and Beautifully Creative! Maybe the other girl needed the kit to boost her creativity? Maybe it helped her parent to see a different take on a gift versus a cake for a kid. Then again there are all the other scenarios that could come into play. I can think of MANY coming from a challenged family, with a mom who couldn’t drive, money being an issue, etc.
Another way of looking at it – it’s not always so bad to KNOW what’s in the package! This applies if you are the type to PREFER A SURPRISE be unwrapped!
Here’s to a new year, a new you and FRUITCAKE LIFE LESSONS! No matter WHAT you GET in LIFE; I think when you are able to do an OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEERING process on it all – in the end – you see it actually worked out perfectly!
Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT.com
Outlook Shift Engineer! Hear! Here!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
HAPPY ‘LIFE-HOLIDAY’, TO YOU!
Friday, December 16th, 2011
I teach what I need to learn, I share because I care. I don’t DO Christmas. At least not just ‘once during the year’ – I believe in LIVING LIFE in the SPIRIT of the SEASON.
I don’t believe in the once-a-year stress, mega-shopping, mega-debt, shock of seeing family members where one can’t relate and adjust, where addicts get into their mega-use to avoid it all, etc.
NOW for my OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEERING approach … AH! HA! HA HA!
I BELIEVE in LIVING LIFE! LAUGHING OFTEN!
I BELIEVE in LIVING in the SEASON and SPIRIT of Christmas year round! How does THAT SOUND?
My laughter leader trainer, Dr. Steve Wilson, wrote a wonderful book called: ‘GOOD-HEARTED LIVING’. We’ve seen these values and traits written and spoken about many times over: COMPLIMENTS, FLEXIBILITY, GRATITUDE, KINDNESS, FORGIVESS, and having fun and relaxing (CHOCOLATE).
I don’t DO Christmas … but I did awake this morning to the EXPECTATION, APPRECIATION of a BEAUTIFUL NEW DAY! I didn’t run out to find a tree with wrapped packages… I found the SUN streaming through my bedroom window! YES! A new PHresh Day! A new, PHresh Outlook on Life!
What a GIFT, this NEW day, this NEW start to a NEW outlook. ‘Pick myself up, dust myself off, start all over again!’ as the song says.
I get to LIVE LIFE! in AH! MAZEMENT! Each day I get to practice GOOD-HEARTED LIVING! I can awake to realize a NEW FORGIVENESS!
I look out my window as I prepare my healthy breakfast filled with GRATITUDE and see the MIRACLE OF LIFE as BIRDS flitter from branch to branch.
I get to PRACTICE this SPIRIT OF THE SEASON on a MOMENT to MOMENT basis … living in the GIFT of the PRESENT … constantly seeing a NEW SURPRISE … a NEW LESSON … a REASON to be GRATEFUL!
I get to EXCUSE, FORGIVE, RELEASE a minor irritation by a fellow DRIVER or SHOPPER when I am out-and-about.
I get to PRACTICE ‘A Little Kindness…’ and live in AH! MAZING! EXPECTATION of each new occurrence and miracle in my life!
Why only do this for a brief time each year? LIVE LIFE IN AH! MAZEMENT! LIVE LIFE! with EXPECTATION! on a moment to moment basis. LIVE, LIVE, LIVE IN the SPIRIT of the SEASON!
No need to wait for ‘once a year’ to SPEND TIME WITH THE KIDS, or a MISSED family member to BAKE SOME COOKIES or make some Ginger Bread Houses. It’s all about the SPECIAL QUALITY TIME … be creative! This translates to sandcastles and group gardening projects.
No need to wait for the ‘HOLIDAY SEASON’ to make donations or take food to a needy family.
No need to wait for the Holiday Season to take some time for YOURSELF, to ‘take a ME-DAY’ from work and CELEBRATE THE GIFT OF LIFE!
As MAME said: ‘We need a Little Christmas, right this very minute …’ – in life, on a moment to moment basis … living in the moment, in the MIRACLE of each new day and minute … seeing the JOY, LOVE, MAGNIFICENCE around us.
The SPIRIT of the SEASON is about:
EXPECTANCY,
BEING IN THE MOMENT
GRATITUDE and THANKS
FORGIVING
Being a little KIND, a little FLEXIBLE
Enjoying those TREATS
Spending time with someone
SHARING those GIFTS …
Play the HA HA HELEN SMILE CAMPAIGN - GAME!, DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY!, take TIME 2 LAUGH … LIVE LIFE LIKE IT’S The Christmas Season!
THAT’S THE SPIRIT! L I V E IT! and share a Healthy Laugh or Smile while you’re at it!
Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT.com – OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER, Hear! Here!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
A little kindness goes a long way …
Signature Laugh!
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
As I walked through the automatic opening doors at my parttime job; I made a humorist comment to a customer leaving the building. It’s been raining here, so much, that I like to say to people when it’s downpouring: ‘THINK IT’S GONNA RAIN?’ *LOL!
I think the customer responded, without missing a beat: ‘DON’T KNOW! BUT THEY’RE CALLING FOR IT!’ *LOL! …the humor comes from the conversational exchange in the middle of the downpour!
So, I let out a BIG LAUGH, as is natural for me.
As I entered the store, both the Shift Supervisor and Cashier, who were stocking shelves, popped out from their aisles, almost exclaiming in unison: ‘YEP! I KNEW IT, IT’S HELEN’S LAUGH!’
It’s the HA HA Helen SIGNATURE LAUGH, a freely expressed LAUGH OUT LOUD!
Just like with a written signature, a physical style, stance, tone of voice; we all have a signature laugh style!
It’s nice to be noticed for my signature laugh!
In theatre and television sitcoms, ‘signature laughs’ made some characters famous!
Think about the character LAVERNE from ‘Laverne and Shirley’ – her slow, nasal laugh.
Think about Arnold from ‘Welcome Back Kotter’.
Think about ERKEL’s also famous, nasal laugh!
Just like from the silver screen era movie about GYPSY ROSE LEE. There’s a song in the movie: YA’ GOTTA HAVE A GIMMICK!
Having a signature laugh is a good thing. It AUTOMATICALLY announces you before you enter a room.
One of the best comments I ever got at a Laughter Club was from a woman who had a very dry wit. She said: ‘My laugh is basically ‘HA!’ I said: ‘That’s a great laugh! It reminds me of a Shakespearean actor, stepping haughtily out on the stage with a broad stride, raising one arm into the air and announcing: ‘I LAUGH! …. HA!’ She responded: I LOVE IT!
This has been HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT.COM, OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER!
Living Life! Laughing Often! … Living Life in AH! MAZEMENT!
and LAUGHING OUT LOUD! Why? Because it’s a healthy stress reliever.
The Power of the VOICE!
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
I was helping my younger sister, by taking my mom to a doctor’s appointment years back. My mom, having reduced lung capacity, started to breathe heavily once getting back into the car. Having a creative mind and strong instinct, I quickly put my Russel Watson ‘The Voice – ENCORE’ CD into my car’s player.
He opened with his pop-raspy voice intro to the first song; and then BURST FORTH into FULL OPERATIC VOICE! What a VOICE! My mom exclaimed: ‘Wow! Buy me that CD!’ and she handed me $20.00 to pay for it! OH! …and her breathing started to calm!
I’m told my own singing voice can be very soothing, comforting, relaxing, and healing. I’ve had people buy my CD ( A Night at the Piano Bar with Helen of LAFOLOT) to give to freinds with health challenges.
The POWER of THE VOICE! With tone, with a look, with a feeling behind a word or statement – we have THE POWER to instantly change a mood, a situation, become a negotiator, an instigator, etc.
The POWER of THE VOICE! In Laughter Wellness and Outlook Shift Engineering talks, I share about ‘empathic response’ studied by Neuropsychologists. This is an area of the brain that receives WORD-VOICE and FACIAL-PHYSICAL transmissions from others with whom we are interracting. AH! MAZING! I say!
WE, have THE POWER – to diffuse or use! WE, have THE POWER to feel, assess, and SHARE-CARE due to the NATURAL empathy response of our AH! MAZING! BRAINS!
WHAT A GIFT!
I’m listening to my Russell Watson ‘THE VOICE’ CD as I type this. I LOVE the male, tenor voice!
Music, Voice, Word, Facial Expressions have such POWER! When I want to RESET, or have a personal OUTLOOK SHIFT – I often turn to MUSIC! ART! ENTERTAINMENT! SOCIALIZATION! LAUGHTER WELLNESS!
All these are received by the brain and have the power to:
MOTIVATE ME TO GET UP AND MOVE! CLEAN! Get OFF MY SEAT – and MOVE MY FEET!
to, RELAX, INSPIRE, FEEL, HEAL and MEDITATE!
In a slump? Feeling jittery or agitated? Need to relax and relieve stress? Need to get up and move?
Think Music, Voice, Action (Acting) and watch yourself move in a different direction!
Highlighted Helen! ‘Outlook Shift Engineer!’
Living BOLD and in ITALICS!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Clown Nose Power!
Friday, September 30th, 2011
I am always AH! MAZED! at the power of a Clown Nose in a stressful situation! I keep one handy in my car at all times! Don’t leave home without it!
While driving to my mom’s hospice/nursing home the other evening; traffic was totally backed-up! Having had major storms and rains for a week, the roads were a challenge! WHAT COULD I DO? I was STUCK on a single lane area of the road – with traffic in the SAME SITUATION heading in the opposite direction!
What to do? What to do?
Ta Daaaaaaa! Clown Nose to the rescue! Woo! Hoo!
I rolled down my car window, put on the clown nose and *ZAP … *ZAP …. *ZAP ….
one car at a time … it *ZAPPED away the STRESS, Zombie-like stares of the ‘end-of-the-work-day’ drivers and I received SMILES to LIGHT UP even the most OVERCAST, DARK day! *Big Laugh Out Loud!
When I got to my mom’s nursing home/hospice wing; I encountered a resident who has dementia and is more often ANGRY and AGITATED as she walks within her room and out in the halls. She is often arguing with the nursing staff and it gets hostile. *ZAP! *ZAP! *ZAP!
I applied the CLOWN NOSE; and what happened? She LIT UP WITH A SMILE! She LAUGHED! Her EYES SPARKLED and she said: Now THAT’S GREAT!
After finishing feeding my mom and leaving her room, I went by the ‘challenged’ resident’s room. I looked in and gave a WAVE with my CLOWN NOSE on. *ZAP! *ZAP! *ZAP! Same reaction! She stopped fussing and LAUGHED OUT LOUD, EYES SPARKLED and she laughed as she said how great it was!
I wondered if Clown Noses should be a required TOOL for nursing home residents? It’s a thought?
On my way home, I encountered more SLUGGISH traffic in both directions. At one point, I put on my clown nose, rolled down the car window and waved at a guy in a car in the opposite direcition. A young kid. He looked, his face lit up, and he exclaimed: WELL! NOW! LOOK AT YOU!!!!! and he LAUGHED as he drove on!
*ZAP! *ZAP! *ZAP! One at a time … DRIVING MYSELF (and others) HAPPY! SPREADING SMILES BY THE MILES!
my HA HA HELEN’S SMILE CAMPAIGN in motiong – collecting points for all the smiles received and LIGHTING THE WORLD – ONE SMILE AT A TIME!
Have a HA HA HAPPY DAY!
HA HA HELEN of LAFOLOT.com
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Kindness is Kontagious!
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
What a W.O.W. (World of Wonder!) couple of days!
Needness to say, it’s been a SUPER challenging past week (mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually!) –
luckily we have a ‘FAMILY TEAM’ working to help my oldest, brain damaged sister ‘Dolly’ (as a result of being hit by a drunk driver when she was 20 – now 63), as well as my 86 year old mom who is currently in hospice.
It’s been a year of challenges, frustrations, and dissapointment – HOLDING ON – knowing that SEEDS have been planted and are GERMINATING – ready to BLOSSOM and grow my LAFOLOT.COM business. I AFFIRM THIS!
I have newly title myself: OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER! If the TITLE fits, WEAR it!
Heres the AH! MAZING! NARRATIVE of KONTAGIOUS KINDNESS events and OUTLOOK SHIFTS since yesterday!
I had a dental appointment yesterday morning at which I received a coupon attached to an 8 1/2 inch sheet of paper. I was ‘dissapointed’ because I thought the dental hygenist said she would give me a coupon for anti-bacterial mouthwash – all I saw was a coupon for dental floss. But I chose to be grateful.
OUTLOOK SHIFT: I took the coupon sheet to the grocery store, and when I went to fold and tear the coupon at the perforation; I FOUND OUT THERE WAS PRINTING ON THE BACK – and THAT’s where the mouthwash coupon was! SILLY ME! It just took an OUTLOOK shift to discover THE GIFT! When I used the coupon, the grocery store DOUBLED it’s value and the coupon maching SPIT OUT (no pun intended re: the mouthwash) – ANOTHER $1.00 off coupon for the same produce – not expiring for 3 months! Woo Hoo!
Last evening, after leaving my mom’s hospice room and having to help her eat (this is not easy for me emotionally nor physically) – I stopped at a local 7-11 Convenience store to pick up a Hotdog and Fritos for dinner. The owner of the store knows me as a frequent customer. HE GAVE ME THE HOTDOG FOR FREE! What a kindness! We never know what people are experiencing in their lives – that GESTURE was PRICELESS!
I got up this morning and sang my own made-up song, chants about everything I was grateful for. The shower, the water, my hair-blow dryer, etc etc.
When I went to visit my sister in her nursing home I found an older couple sitting near the lobby front door. Even though it was 10 A.M. – he kept greeting everyone with GOOD AFTERNOON because he thought it was funny! I had my clown nose with me – so I put it on and he and his wife laughed!
When I went down the hall towards my sister’s room – the PHYSICAL THERAPY staff were helping a senior woman go through Plastic Cones – to learn how to maneuvre her walker. They said: OH NO! YOU CAN’T JUST WALK BY! YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CONES! I slipped my clown nose out of my pocket – put it on my face and OBLIGED! They laughed and thanked me.
I found my sister, relaxed, content and resting on her bed. She was happy to get her wristwatch back after a recent stay in the hospital. We had a nice visit.
On my way out, I told her PHYSIATRIST that I ‘VALUED’ his intentions and actions in trying to assist my sister with her mobility, etc. I hear THE HOKEY POKEY being played on a piano and followed the music into a senior/group event being held by two women (one singing, one playing the piano). With my clown nose, I entered the event and they stopped and smiled. They allowed me to join in and physically do the hockey pockey for them – while it was replayed.
I left the building feeling good about having entered with a positive outlook shift – my family having been challenged recently re: my sister’s care.
When I got to the grocery store after that – I saw A FANTASTIC deal on a HUGE SIZE box of cat litter. I’m really hurting financially – so it would have been a good buy – but TOO HEAVY for me to lift. I said that out loud in the aisle – JOKINGLY – and another woman shopper – without skipping a beat – LIFTED THE HUGE BOX OF LITTER INTO MY SHOPPING CART!
I told her I have on my website: A LITTLE KINDNESS GOES A LONG WAY! She had done a great service and unexpected kindness for me! I gave her 3 LAFOLOT bookmarks. She was thrilled because she had just bought a book at a 2nd hand book store! Since I work at this store, I mentioned HER KINDNESS to one of the management and they said they would offer her a discount coupon for having helped me!
KINDNESS IS KONTAGIOUS!
You never know when THAT SMALL GESTURE is helping someone with BIG BURDENS in their life.
Thanks to ALL THE ANGELS that presented themselves to me this past week! Sending thoughts of healthy laughter and smiles out to all!
Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER!
