LAFOLOT

‘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!

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 …

I was working at my parttime HALLMARK Helen job, yesterday. I’m helping out a
fellow Hallmark card ‘lady’ while she’s on vacation.

As I walked down the main aisle, I saw a woman ‘SIGNING’ with one hand as she
held her ‘Wireless Device’ out from her.

I love talking to everyone and anyone when I am out and about. I have learned
how to say: Hello, Goodbye, How Are You? and Thank You! in many different
languages and dialects. I like to let people know, I’m willing to take a step
over the barrier to learn more about their culture, etc.

When I saw this woman, there was NO BARRIER, (I have a cousin who is Deaf and
I’ve learned the Alphabet and a FEW signs). I wasn’t READING what she was
saying, because I don’t know enough to be able to do that – and it would have
been an invasion of privacy. For anyone who is concerned.

I walked toward her in AH! MAZEMENT! of this wonderful device – and signed: H,
I (HI!) I indicated I was going to SAY HELLO to her friend on the phone. She
noted they had hung up.

I signed: MY COUSIN IS DEAF (I use this opening line when approaching someone
sho is signing, so they know I can speak, hear and that they may know my cousin
from their community meetings, of which I’m aware.)

We ‘talked a little bit’ – She knew I couldn’t sign MUCH. She helped me with a
few signs. She showed me her ‘phone’ – that there is a new APP known as TANGO
that allows someone who is deaf – to get a FULL SCREEN conversation window – in
order to communicate just as a speaking/hearing person would with a cell phone,
etc.

She was very excited, as was I! We communicated with BIG FACIAL expressions and
minimal signing – she read my lips as I spoke -

I agreed that I was AH! MAZED! Why? Prior to personal computers and e-mails -
the deaf community had to use an oversized, bulky machine in the home known as a
TTY. It limited communication; because of not being able to use phone for voice
communication.

I KNEW INSTANTLY – WHY she was SO EXCITED!

HOW WONDERFUL! This DEVICE – courtesy of Steve Jobs and those in the wireless
technology field – have now:

Brought the Deaf Community and the Hearing/Speaking community TOGETHER -
HEALTHILY – SOCIALLY with this WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL DEVICE!

I had been concerned that cell phones, texting, etc. were creating an
ANTI-SOCIAL atmosphere – taking away proper grammar, developing an entire new
language of TEXTING – etc…

and – once again – I’m learning to BE FLEXIBLE and GROW ALONG WITH IT – seeing
how these WONDERFUL CHANGES are BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER who would not have been able to communicate, before?

Since computers and e-mails – I can now – easily communicate with my cousin, NO
PROBLEM!

and now – we can TANGO! DANCE! and communicate VISUALLY via wireless devices
that allow the DEAF community to wirelessly communicate on the run!

I AM SO EXCITED BY ALL THIS! TALK ABOUT BRINGING THE WORLD TOGETHER!
FEEL THE TINGLE AND THE EXCITEMENT!

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT.com (Outlook Shift Engineer!) typing with a smile and a big laugh out loud in her heart – IMAGINE THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL!

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.

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!

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!

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.

My dad passed on in August 2000. He worked 42 years for the Bethlehem Steel Corporation. In addition, he was a ‘jack of all trades. One of his favorite things was gardening. I ‘tagged around’ with my dad a lot and learned Electrical Fix stuff, carpentry, brick laying, tile laying, wall papering, how to fix a zipper, how to make toys out of wooden spools, dried gourds and walnut shells. He was VERY PROUD of his 2/2/22 birth date!

I also learned how to Entertain – by watching my dad do ‘silly Vaudeville act’ and ‘slapstick’ moves and phrases.

In honor of DAD’s day, I recalled a priceless moment. I used to like to go ‘fishing’ with my dad. The funny this is, we never caught any fish. The ONE time I caught a fish, I brought it home and put it in a bucket and watched it swim around. I COULD NEVER HAVE KILLED IT! My dad knew this and ‘took care of it’ when I wasn’t looking. I think my mom cooked it for him.

Because of the above, one time, when WE WENT FISHING, he just put an OPEN, Large Safety Pin on the end of a string attached to a stick. He let me sit on a bridge in Highspire/Middletown area – over the CANAL. He knew I ‘just liked the ACT of fishing and sitting’. Well, a man came walking towards us across the bridge at one point. The man inquired: ‘catch anything?’ I naturally started to pull the ‘makeship fishing apparatus’ out of the water.

NO! NO! my dad said. Just keep it in there. The man looked oddly after we said, ‘no’ and kept on walking. I realized, later – my dad KNEW I didn’t care to catch anything – so just to keep me happy – he rigged a fake fishing line and JUST LET ME SIT.

I would JUST SIT a lot – with my dad – there was no need for words. It was VERY EFFECTIVE communication. When he was ‘passing on’ – I would go to the hospital and JUST SIT. It’s how we communicated. Sometimes – there isn’t a need for words.

I was driving today and saw the personalized bumper display: 1AMB1C 1 (IAMBIC 1) Per Wikipedia: Iambic rhythms come relatively naturally in English. Iambic pentameter is the most common meter in English poetry; it is used in many of the major English poetic forms, including blank verse, the heroic couplet, and some of the traditional rhymed stanza forms. William Shakespeare used iambic pentameter in his plays and sonnets. [I notice these things and started a: DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY! campaign via LAFOLOT.com by 'getting people to enjoy the GIFT of the PRESENT moment - by noticing interesting license plates while driving. This was ANOTHER GAME I learned from MY DAD! He would make funny words out of the 3 letters in the beginning of license plates.]

I figured the driver was announced that they were A POET! Another form of Communication in ART.

Sometimes, ACTing or ACTions speak louder than words – such as in a play or a relationship between a father and daughter.
Sometimes, adding a LITTLE RYTHM with an IAMBIC Pentameter or RAP beat helps to get the message across. When my dad passed on, I was the only one in his hospital room, and I told the young nurse on duty – the story about the SAFETY PIN FISHING LINE. It makes me smile – it has DAD written all over it!

I personally feel, the way to bring PEACE to the WORLD is to put an EMPHASIS on: THE ART OF COMMUNICATION

Whether it’s WRITING, SPEAKING, SINGING, POETRY, ACTING, JOURNALING – communicating with one’s self or with others. But, I feel there is a REAL NEED for THE WORLD to EXPRESS its needs, feelings, wants, desires – IN A HEALTHY WAY.

I think – like my dad – sometimes – we just need to SIT IN THE SILENCE and ponder life – through fishing – even if it’s with a safety pin.

The ART of Communication and NON-Communication – a priceless gift/skill to HONE.

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.com
Living Life! and Laughing Often!
Living in AH! Mazement of it all! … and LEARNING A LOT – from DAD!

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!