LAFOLOT

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!

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 …

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!

I was just sitting at a busy intersection, and observed a Crow ‘CALLING OUT’ – while sitting atop a power line. I had my car windows open, but even though I was near the crow, due to the loudness of a tractor trailer truck and other vehicle engines flying by, the Crow’s ‘CAW!’ could not be heard.

I thought, ‘how sad’ – this Crow has ‘something to crow about’ and no one – not even another crow, is able to hear.

I then thought, how many times in life do we have ‘something to crow about’ and WE aren’t heard nor noticed.

I am passionate about what I do, ‘Outlook Shift Engineer!’, Laughter Wellness (Healthy Socialization) and Healthy interaction through smiling and kindness – but so many times – I feel like this Crow – in the middle of a busy intersection, not being heard nor noticed.

I was cleaning my office this morning and noticed all the ‘THANK YOU NOTES’ and ‘NOTES OF APPRECIATION’ I have ‘salt and peppered’ around my desk. These ‘PRICELESS FORMS OF COMMUNICATION’ are highly cherished! I keep them around to ‘keep me going’ when I ‘FEEL LIKE THE CROW WHO WAS NOT HEARD.’

The ART of communication is a wonderful, priceless thing!
The ART of listening.
The ART of a kind word, a smile, a simple FREE-ly giving gesture.

I was driving along the road and saw a woman in the lane to the right of me, her window halfway down – and a cigarette in her hand. Normally, I would get very annoyed, because of not wanting to breathe in the smoke and I would be judgemental.

I did an OUTLOOK SHIFT at that moment, put on my CLOWN NOSE – looked to the right in the woman’s direction (my car window was up) and I WAVED and SMILED!

The woman instantly waved and smiled back at me. I felt good that I had ‘changed my outlook’ and chosen to SHARE A HEALTHY SMILE AND A WAVE with this soul – traveling on the same road of life as I.

May you have a day filled with ART-full, Kind, Free-ly given beautiful communication -

and while ‘THE MASSES’ may not HEAR you nor I – perhaps, like me – being the only one noticing the CROW ‘CAWING’ out its message – you, too – will have ‘one special soul’ with whom to share your message.

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.com
Outlook Shift Engineer!
Live Life! Laugh Often!

It’s a Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT

‘DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY!’ moment! HA HA!

I was heading out of my Mobile Park to turn onto the main road -
I looked at the first three letters of the license plate
in front of me.

GBL – Ha Ha Ha! That’s GOBBLE! for Thanksgiving! How appropriate!

I went to record my FIRST RADIO AD for a small local radio station- WOO HOO! It went well! I used my THEATRE VOICE! Ha Ha! [ fyi - it will air Monday Nov 29 7:41 AM each weekday before the Comedy minute through December 25, 2010 - 1230 AM Fortress - a local - southcentral PA radio station]

Afterwards, I headed out into Holiday shopping traffic to do some food shopping and head over to my favorite office supply store for my 2011 business wall calendar.

When leaving the parking lot to drive home – I looked at the car in front of me. The first 3 letters on the license plate were:

ELV

HA HA! ELVES! How appropriate for the Holiday Season!

Guess I’m ‘DRIVING MYSELF HAPPY!’

Have a Ha Ha Happy THANKSGIVING and Holiday Season! No matter your belief system or options for celebrating or not – just BE!
*Weeeeeee! *tee hee!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
Live Life! Laugh Often! and DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY!

Did you miss your present? hmm?

I was behind a well dressed business woman in a checkout line at a Dollar Store. I looked down and noticed a KEY in the bottom of an empty store-hand basket near her feet. I said: ‘Excuse me? Is that your key?’

No response. I said a little louder: ‘Excuse me? Is that your key?’ [she was INTENTLY Texting someone on her mobile device.] She finally CAME TO – for a BRIEF second to say: ‘WHUH?’ I repeated my question, again – she mumbled ‘neh’ and went back to her texting.

Then, the well-dressed business woman in front of her, just having finished paying for HER purchases echoed: ‘Whuh?’ Her friend didn’t even hear her – and mindlessly walked out behind her, leaving the store.

I was a bit ‘concerned’ that they would both be going out to get into a vehicle and drive! No alcohol, no food, just mental FOG and totally unware of THEIR PRESENT!

[I have a 63 yr old sister who was hit by a drunk driver when she was 19 - she is permanently front left lobe brain damaged as a result. She is now in a nursing home and I'm her representative. So my concern is not a light one.]

I have been marketing myself as well as making the effort to SPREAD SMILES BY THE MILES to rush hour traffic – placing signs out in front of a friend’s restaurant that read: ‘FREE Smiles & Laughs Drive-thru!’

or my other effort: MOTOR-VATION with another sign that read – ‘*Smile! YOU’RE GREAT!’

As I sit or stand along the road – I am AMAZED at the amount of Totally NON-PRESENT drivers going by! Not just from Texting, Cell Phone talking-but from staring off into space etc. [yes, I am guilty of the day dreaming, myself.]

- I found a quarter under a chair at a restaurant today!
- I saw a cloud in the sky yesterday, shaped like a ‘V’ for victory!
- I saw a ‘cloud-like’ X-shape in the sky last week – the residue of two jet paths having crossed one another. It was comical – X marked the spot of the restaurant I had gone to!

- I found a dime on the floor of my hairstylist’s salon a few weeks ago.

I play a smile game where I just look at people with a closed-mouth smile and give myself a point if they return the smile.

I watched a teenage boy talking to his mother in the lobby-waiting area of a restaurant the other week. His mother was focused on her mobile device – reading and texting. The TEENAGER was Talking Away to his mother – and all that came from her was an occassional: ‘Whuh?’ ‘Huh?’ How many parents would be THRILLED to have their teen wanting to talk to them? I watched in amazement!

When walking to my mailbox the other day, I found a beautiful bird feather. I picked it up and saved it! When I was conducting my MOTOR-VATION event, today – I found a TULIP TREE leaf on the ground next to my chair! What a find! I picked it up and saved it!

All these PRESENTs I receive in Smiles, Waves, Beeps, Acknowledgements, and the little GIFTS God, Spirit, the Universe lay across my path as I walk out and about are PRICELESS!

How many PRESENTS did you miss today by not being PRESENT?

I SAID – HOW MANY PRESENTS DID YOU MISS TODAY BY NOT BEING PRESENT!? [this line was just for effect - as a reader - I can tell you are very present..]

THANK YOU for your gift of reading my blog(s) – YOU are APPRECIATED!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
www.lafolot.com
Living in the moment …
Living in A-MAZE-ment
Live Life! Laugh Often!

For starting out, Ho Hum, my Saturday turned out to be especially silly and Smile Provoking!

Headed out to DENNYS’ for lunch. After parking and engaging my car alarm – WOOP WOOP WOOP! a car alarm (thinking it’s mine) is SCREAMING its head off. I pull the key fob out of my purse and proceed to press every button available, the alarm won’t stop. I look to see if the car lights are flashing, then realize it’s the vehicle next to mine. Then it stops. WONDERING if someone in a nearby store was messing with me?

DENNYS’ was packed, but I got a nice table. Heard the table behind me tell the server they had a birthday. When the server left, I got up (taking two SMILE Face, yellow, positive saying bookmark business cards with me) – excused myself to the 3, gray-haired ‘young folks’ sitting there – said I overheard there was a birthday? The man and woman pointed to the man on the other side of the booth. I said: ‘If you don’t mind, IT’S FREE, I’ll sing the ‘Ha Ha Happy Birthday song to you?’ They smiled in approval. I said: ‘Pay attention, the words are tricky!’ …so I went on with the ‘ha ha ha ha ha Haaa…’ At the end, the woman asked how to pronounce my last name, as she looked at it on the card. I said: ‘VERY CAREFULLY!’ She laughed out loud, saying that was funny. [I try.]

I went back to my table, and heard [from the very closely placed table of 6 college-age men & women sitting directly to my right] ‘…yeah, he was laughing in his sleep!’ I reached in my purse and whipped out a Smile Face ‘Laugh Yourself Healthy’ bookmark – gently passing it to the ‘accused laughing/dreaming guy’. They looked at me a bit cautiously. I said: ‘It’s OK, you don’t have to keep the bookmark if you don’t want to.’ – and I smiled. They kept it.

About 5 minutes later, a woman stopped at my table as she was leaving. She said: ‘You have a beautiful voice! That was lovely, what you did for his birthday!’ I smiled and thanked her for mentioning it and being so kind. She said: ‘You have an infectious smile!’ I said: ‘I want you to know how SPECIAL it was that you stopped to tell me this and I note ‘a little kindness goes a long way’ – you’ve just made my day with your kindness.’ She smiled, and her ‘daughter?’ smiled as they went up to pay their bill.

I drove up the road and beeped/waved as I passed the two CHIC-FILET fast food COW MASCOTS standing along side the road and waving at traffic.

When I got to A.C. MOORE crafts to make use of my 50% off coupon – I got in line behind a woman at the cash register. I heard the song: ‘THE TIME WARP’ [Rocky Horror Picture Show] playing on the P.A. System

I couldn’t resist. It was just at the part: ‘IT’S JUST A JUMP TO THE LEFT’
so I – JUMPED TO THE LEFT (ha ha!)

The woman in front of me turned, smiled, laughed and DID THE SAME!

PRICELESS MOMENT! We both – standing one in line behind the other, continued the ‘time warp’ dance steps as the instructions were sung in the song.
SHE WAS GOOD! She knew it perfectly! I was a beat behind, waiting for the instructions.

When it was done we had a chuckle.

This has been an ‘ESPECIALLY SILLY SATURDAY SERIES OF EVENTS!’

Now I can go about my chores for the rest of the day with a smile on my face.
… an maybe take ‘a jump to the left and a step to the right’ if I need recharged!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Living BOLD and in ITALICS!
Live Life in a-MAZE-ment!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com
ADDENDUM: forgot to add at the end of my Especially Silly Series of Events blog – posted earlier … after leaving A.C. Moore crafts – I passed an SUV in the parking lot with the glamour plate: 2NOTY4U ;o) LOL!

As I write this, my loveable, Alpha Male cat, ‘Buddy’ is happily meowing and playing with his collection of cat toys in the kitchen. Brings a smile to my face!

My cat, Buddy, has many roles; one of them being Personal Workout Coach.

He has me TRAINED to toss toys to him, while he sits atop kitchen cabinets, or countertops so he can EXPERTLY (like YODA) bat the toy back at me to catch; or GO RUN, BEND and FETCH!

He developed this PLAY routine so that I wouldn’t realize I was exercising (CAT-ERCISING).

*he’s now doing his daily RUN and DASH across the house. I think he’s trying to get me to learn to sprint. I’m playing dumb …

Anyway – I digress …

So, this morning – I start to pick up ALL the cat toys from the floor so that I can vacuum. Oh, I guess this is another BUDDY METHOD – CAT-ERCISE routine; making me walk, bend and stretch to pick up the toys!

I gather them all, and place them on the kitchen table to clear the vacuuming area. SILLY ME! CAT-ERCISE time! Alpha Bud – Personal Cat Trainer Coach starts to pick up each piece, shake it around in his mouth and TOSS it back onto the kitchen floor.

FA-GED-A-BOUD the vacuuming! I spend the next ten minutes BENDING, RUNNING, FETCHING, LAUGHING as he tosses EVERY toy back onto the floor!

Ahhhh – WHAT A WORKOUT! or is it a PLAY OUT – BUDDY METHOD STYLE?

*MEOW! HOW he worked my muscles, today – with play!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Live Life in a-MAZE-ment
www.lafolot.com

OK – so if you take acting classes – you learn to find personal thoughts, feelings, and mannerisms to take on an ‘on stage’ persona to make the character believable to the audience.

Many performers, sportsmen/women, singers, actors all do this to bring about the best enjoyment for their audiences. Think of Mohammed Ali and most recently Beyonce’ who noted: ‘takes on the persona of a character known as Sasha Fierce’ when on stage.

Well, there is a positive, healthy way to make use of this in everyday life. I’m not talking about denying your feelings and not being in touch with reality. There are just times when ‘ACTING AS IF’ can help to take you from Gloomy Gus mode to a more positive outlook mode.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE bicycle riding, the challenge of conquering a steep hill and then WHOOOOOSH! feeeeeeling the reward by flying down the other side of the hill; especially on country roads with little traffic.

I was driving up, down, up, down a curvy, fun road today – it’s a BEAUTIFUL weather day in late September. Car windows open, breeze flowing in through the windows, sun shining – I was DRIVING MYSELF HAPPY!

Then, I thought of a FUN Name! and Alternate Persona to FIT the moment!

PHUN RIDINGWEATHER! At that moment, in the car, with a smile on my face, in my heart and in my soul – I WAS – PHUN RIDINGWEATHER!

So to add a new pitch to the ACT AS IF or FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT philosophy – take it a step further and get in touch with your: James Bond, Sasha Fierce, Alice Cooper or whoever you wish to dream up and let out!

On a cold, winter day – wanting a beautiful Spring or Summer drive – without even leaving my home – I can get in touch with the PHUN PHEELINGS AND PHABULOUS HEART AND SOUL WARMING character known as PHUN RIDINGWEATHER.

‘Go on and take a free ride…yeah yeah yeah yeah …’ It’s all in how you choose to FEEL. It’s all about CHOICE. You know, you can also use this method for dealing with overpowering personalities in the workplace or other areas of everyday life!

Feeling mousy? Imagine yourself taller, in a power business suit and taking on Donald Trump! Then go in and talk to your boss about that raise! For example.

Just THINK of all the ways you can apply it in your life!

Feeling groovy … just kickin’ back on the cobblestones…
PHUN RIDINGWEATHER [see her in action, at this You Tube video!]
a.k.a. Highlighted, Healthy, Hollywood, Healing, Happenin’, Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Stay Sweet!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Live Life in AMazement!
Live BOLD and in ITALICS!
www.lafolot.com

Sometimes, you don’t have a lot of control over a situation and using humor to diffuse anger, frustration, anxiety helps release the tension and bring peace, relaxation and good health back to your body.

There’s a sweet doggie across the road. Since he’s gotten to know me, he doesn’t bark at me anymore. But he barks a lot – so I WROTE THIS SONG!

Ode to Woody

MY NAME, IS WOODY MCBARKEN!
I LOVE TO BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK ALL DAY LONG!
MY NAME, IS WOODY MCBARKEN!
SO YA BETTER JUST MOVING RIGHT ALONG!
I LOVE TO BARK BARK BARK, YOU CAN SEE THAT’S NOT A LARK
‘CAUSE MY NAME – IS WOODY MCBARKEN
I LOVE TO BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK
ALL DAY LONNNNNNNG! *woof!

When life gets rough or brings you lemons –
turn it around with a silly song
and soon you’re body, mind, mental and emotional state will be
Back IN TUNE!

LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
Keep living life – and when all else fails – laugh off the stress in a healthy way!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
www.lafolot.com

10 minutes later – Update: LOL! At myself!
I write a silly song, write a silly blog – couldn’t figure out why the recycle truck was was sitting outside my place engine running running running – After 10 min and my cats besides themselves … I go out – see that the Recycle guy is inside the Barking Dog Woman’s front porch – sipping coffee – while her dog barks incessantly and the truck engine running. I ask him if there’s a problem or could he turn off his truck engine? He apologizes and leaves – I tell her to grow up and get dog training to learn how to train her dog. SHE JUST STANDS THERE AND SMILES. *sigh … need to forgive myself for getting so worked up. Let me go read my silly song, again. oy vey! That’s why I say – I teach what I need to learn! Live Life! Laugh Often!