LAFOLOT

There’s a familiar phrase from a song: ‘Do you SEE what I see? Do you HEAR what I hear?’

I am self-title an O.S.E. (OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER!); because I choose to SEE and HEAR things from several sides, angles and views.

During a self-awareness, AH! HA! moment in my life – I was gift with the mantra/phrase: ‘I CHOOSE TO FEEL WHAT I NEED TO HEAL; I CHOOSE TO FACE WHAT I NEED TO REPLACE.’ Meditating and visualizing life occurrences with this positive affirmation, allowed me to MOVE FORWARD in life and get UN-STUCK.

I now invite people I talk to and meet to SEE and HEAR things from a PHresh Outlook. reNEWed, reVIEWed, rePHRESHED …

When I went grocery shopping this just a bit ago, I was in the checkout line. As the checkout clerk processed my groceries for purchase, a fellow employee came over to help her bag the groceries for me. He said: ‘HOW WAS YOUR CHRISTMAS CANDY?’

My mind immediated processed it as I have type it above: ‘How was your Christmas Candy?’ I instantly thought: ‘I guess she brought some Christmas Candy to work and had it for lunch or break?’

THEN! I rePHreshed my HEARING and MENTAL PROCESSING and realized her name tag noted: CANDACE

The young man was asking: ‘How was your Christmas, Candy?’ AH! HA! It’s all in how you SEE it with a COMMA or not, all in how you HEAR it, with the PAUSE!

It’s the same in LIFE, with life occurrences and situations. It’s about THE PAUSE! Taking a MOMENT to PROCESS and SEE ALL the POSSIBILITIES!

I let Candace know what I had thought, and originally assumed. She didn’t have any other customers, so she bent forward, SMILED, LAUGHED, PAUSED and said: ‘THAT’S FUNNY! I NEVER THOUGHT OF HEARING IT THAT WAY!’

As I drove home, passing a local BOWLING CENTER (TRINDLE BOWL); I had to laugh as I drove by their advertising sign. The sign read: ‘CELEBATE NY EVE WITH US!’ No! I DID NOT mistype that word.

I had to laugh. Once again, I was getting the message, it’s all in how you SEE it or READ it! Did you automatically include the missing ‘R’ for the word CELEBRATE?

Sometimes, we READ THINGS INTO a situation; make assumptions.

Being menopausal, I tend to make quite an iteresting spectacle of myself, out in public, from time to time. This is mixed in with my healthy, positive moments. I guess it’s all about balance and imbalanced! HA HA I work at MAKING AMENDS for the UN-BALANCED moments. It’s all about THE PAUSE … taking that MOMENT to SEE, FEEL, HEAR, PROCESS and QUESTION for CLARITY.

GRATEFUL for TODAY’s AH! WARENESS! … to be AH! WARE! of the MOMENTS today, that are teaching me more lessons.
GRATEFUL to be able to CARE and SHARE!

I teach what I need to learn, I share because I care. SO THERE! HEAR! HERE!

LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN! and … see and hear it with a PHresh Outlook!

HA HA Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.com

It’s the HA HA Helen method of recovering from a scary moment on the road!

I was getting ready to pull out of a parking space in a store parking lot; when a car came speeding around the end row of cars, startling me!    

I went through the usual reaction/feelings:  Startled, Shocked, Angry, Grateful I hadn’t been pulled out farther to have my car hit, etc.

The car speedily pulled into a parking space.  I figured it was safe to pull out and leave the parking lot.  

As I drove by the vehicle, I saw the first three letters of the license plate started with the letters:  FTF

I had to laugh as I used HUMOR to RECOVER from the agitating, shocking, irritating, and GRATEFUL moment.

I instantly translated FTF to  ’FOOT TO FLOOR’!   I laughed and smiled.  How perfect!  What a perfect license plate for this driver who had their PEDAL to the METAL!   *laugh out loud!

This is how I use Driving Myself Happy to ‘turn a moment around’; what I call ‘Outlook Shift Engineering!’

My theory is, why allow the anger, shock, judgment to ruin my day as well as my body?  Why allow it to sit in me and do my body, mind, emotions, mental state – more harm?   [Yes - I am not perfect - I don't always succeed; but when I do - Woo! Hoo! YES!]

The REALLY FUNNY part is, the driver wasn’t parking!  I saw they had QUICKLY pulled back out of the parking space, and were driving behind me to exit the parking lot.  If I had stayed in an angry mode, this could have gone into a road rage incident.  It was scary having this aggressive driver behind me, but I had ‘nicknamed’ them  ’Foot To Floor’ – so I could relax and smile through the moment.

I apply this method, often, when driving.  Whenever someone in a car cuts me off, or does some really bad or unaware driving; I give them a SILLY NICKNAME from the letters on their license plate.  This allows me to laugh and see them in a HUMOROUS light!

HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT.com … keeping it Light with Laughter on the road.

One tire turn at a time … rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ on the highway …

I used to think, I COULDA HAD A V8! *Smack in the forehead.
Now, I see, I COULDA JUST DONE ‘THE ERICA METHOD!’

Felt this note from my friend, Erica, was BLOG-WORTHY!
So yesterday (3/11/12) was a good day.

Not because anything particularly good happened.

But in a nutshell, here’s what happened:

I had decided before to try and not be so mean and vulgar in language when dealing with other drivers.

Well, on Sunday, I didn’t lose my temper once. (I blamed it on listening to an old choir cd.)

And I was just calm, and positive, and happy. Wouldn’t you know, I got all the way from Shellsville, along Old Jonestown Road, across 39, continued on Old Jonestown Road, stopped at the one awkward stopping intersection, crossed Rte 22, continued on Old Jonestown Road to Nyes Road, to Union Deposit Road, to East Park Drive to the Giant store, and I only hit ONE red light…it was the left turn to turn onto East Park Drive before turning into the Giant (foodstore…not really big human)!

I figured I had some sort of good karma going.

And then instead of getting frustrated trying to look for a spot right up as close as I could get, I picked a nice one (wasn’t even a pull through) a bit of the ways out thinking “I’ve got good legs. I can walk it. I am thankful I have two good legs and to celebrate I’m going to walk the extra distance.”

Then on my way across the parking lot I saw an older (75-85 year old) lady slowly pushing her cart away from her car and towards the cart island/return (whatever it’s called). I said to her, “Excuse me, are you done with that, because that’s just the size shopping cart I want to use. Can I take that for you?” With a smile on her face she thanked me and turned back towards her car. She mentioned how nice the weather it was and I wished her a happy day.

Yesterday was FILLED with instances like that! All day! I just did little things for people, and enjoyed their smiles in return.

And I kept my calm.

I didn’t get frustrated at other drivers.

I let others go first.

…and it was a good day!

Just thought I’d share that with you.

Erica

passed on by: Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
Live Life in AH! MAZEMENT!
Be in AWE of it ALL!

I like to ‘sparkle’ so I wear glitter on my face every day, as well as 3 pierced earrings in each ear, every day. Lately, I’ve been wearing my Christmas Tree earrings, faux crystal box cut dangly earrings and gold dangly accents. I consider it a COLLAGE for my EARS! ;o)

When I went to the chiropractor the other day, I took my earrings off in the car and set them in a container in the shift box area of my car between the seats; to keep them safe.

Well! Disliking having to wear so much bulky clothing in the winter, I had an afterthought and took my coat off, scarf, and fur head/ear protectors and tossed them on the passenger seat. I get tired of all the bulk, and just parked near the doctor’s office door.

When I got back to the car after my appointment, I noticed only 3 of the earrings were there!

I have LEARNED NOT to get overly upset about ‘the small stuff’. I have enough ‘bigger stuff’ to deal with, than to get upset over earrings (a brain damaged sister in a nursing home – due to being hit by a drunk driver at age 19, now 63 – for whom I’m her representative … as well as other challenges).

So I chalked it up to an ‘OH WELL …’ maybe I’ll find them on the floor of the car, later.

The next morning, I put on a freshly washed sweater, slacks and shoes to go out and START MY EARRING SEARCH – between the seats, etc. It’s pretty cold and windy here, so I had to REALLY want to look.

I talk about SEEING WITH NEW EYES, REFLECTING ON THE GOOD, SHIFTING ONE’S PERCEPTION, RE-LOOKING at Situations, etc. – from a positive persective.

Well! Because I can’t stand winter, all the bulky clothes, and getting ALL TANGLED UP every time I take ‘all my stuff on or off’ when coming or going (I wear my eyeglasses on a chain around my neck)… I had noticed – earlier in the week – I had lost the little plastic piece that helps the glasses rest higher on the nose. Only one side! So my glasses had been lop sided!

LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN EVERYTHING -

in the process of searching for the earrings – which I found!

I FOUND THE LITTLE PLASTIC PIECE down between the seats! WHAT WERE THE ODDS! [if I hadn't lost the earrings, I wouldn't have found the eyeglass part!]

It could have been ANYWHERE – a restaurant, doctor’s office, on the ground somewhere…

I had to SMILE! My gift for NOT getting upset about the earring possible loss, approaching it with an even temper and positive attitude, GOT ME A PRIZE!

And – to top it all off; when I got back into the house – I FOUND THAT CLING FREE DRYER SHEET THAT HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE SWEATER THAT I HAD JUST PUT ON BEFORE GOING OUT!

Laugh out Loud! *BIG SMILE! (I have many fun stories about lost and found dryer items… but I’ll save that for later!)

So, when you lose something – don’t LOSE IT (your cool, that is) –
take it easy and you never know what your PRIZE may be as a result!

Living in GRATITUDE!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Live Life in A-Maze-Ment!
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