LAFOLOT

We are born with the natural ability and tools to live a healthy life. Of course, some are challenged with physical, mental, emotional blocks – at birth – so they require the love, understanding, assistance and patience of others.

What are some of these tools?

Breathing
Visualizing
Laughing
Smiling
Physical Movement
Analysis

These tools help us to:

Discover
Ponder
Learn
Relieve Stress
See situations in a new light
Get physically and mentally healthy

We have these tools within us from the day we are born, they came with this amazing package born into this world.

Do you struggle with the USE of Addictive or Body, Brain, Mind harming chemical dependence? This can come in the form of sexual addiction, shop-a-holic syndrome, overeating, addict eating, chemical or substance abuse, tobacco abuse, recreational drug use, etc.

There are self-help and group support programs available for all these challenges. They are as close as a phone call to a local resource with a list of privacy-respected meetings.

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES TO RELIEVING STRESS or DEPRESSION:

WALKING
TALKING
SLOW – MEDITATIVE BREATHING
TAKING A MOMENT – PAUSING
PICKING UP A PHONE TO CALL A HEALTHY FRIEND
WRITING
LAUGHING
SMILING
HEALTHY SOCIALIZATION (get out and PLAY BALL! DANCE! SING! JUST PLAY! Become a Big Brother or Sister! )

Honor YOURSELF! Honor the BODY, MIND, and SPIRIT! No need to beat up on yourself, it’s all part of being HUMAN!
YOU, MAN – HAVE THE ABILITY TO TURN IT AROUND!

Now LET OUT THAT LAUGHTER SOUND …. CRY and SNIFF like a SOBBING HOUND …
RELEASE and LET GO … ‘CAUSE, YOU KNOW …
YOU – YES YOU! ARE A BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSION OF LIFE – DESERVING OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD!

KNOW THE MAGNIFICENCE THAT YOU ARE -
YOU ARE BETTER THAN ANY SUBSTANCE you may want to USE to temporarily fix stress or depression or anger or frustration.

YOU, YOUR FAMILY – YOUR CHILDREN – ALL DESERVE the BEST that LOVE and LIFE have to offer!

Take this moment – and turn it around. YOU CAN DO IT!

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT.COM
Check out my www.lafolot.com website – for healthy trigger tools tools to help you heal!

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

Had a visual, while awaking this morning – a thick, full, bunch of CRABGRASS blocking my view!
What’s new? I’ve been down, dealing with a lot, coming out of the dark …

had finally started to ‘get out of my physical house’ to do some weeding on my lawn. Not only does it do the lawn good, does the body and mind, as well!

Message received! WEED the CRABGRASS out of your MIND, if you don’t mind! Don’t MIND if I DO!

Depression is ANGER turned INWARD. In order to move OUT of DEPRESSION and MOVE FORWARD in LIFE … the old, angry, unprocessed thoughts need to be WEEDED to ALLOW LIGHT TO COME IN!

So, I was just out pulling, pulling, pulling, lots and lots of weeds and crabgrass out of the ground. With depression, it’s a WIN/WIN situation! Physical movement as well as Emotional processing can take place at the same time!

Feeling down, feeling blue? see what REMOVING PHYSICAL and EMOTIONALLY-OLD-THOUGHTS can do for you!

Try it! If you don’t have a yard – offer to help someone in the neighborhood, someone senior, etc.

It’s AH! MAZING! … the power of WEEDING!

One, two .. one two … feel the burn … and learn … as you work your body and free your mind!

Be kind to yourself …

HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT.com

Went to the doctors for my annual review of bloodwork, etc.
Weight down 13 pounds since last year. A wonderful surprise, since I don’t go near scales.
Blood sugar in healthy range.
Blood pressure great!
Mental and emotional state, great!
Prior to going to my appointment, I put on a relaxation CD and reviewed/chose positive thinking. I practiced laughter wellness exercises in the car, on the way to the appointment. When I got to the doctor’s office, I laughed, and played with a toddler girl who was with her mom and grandfather.

Why is this so wonderful? Back in 2008, I was inspired, while sitting in my office cubicle; to start eating a handfull-size of a fruit, vegetable or nut every hour. That later, moved to having a healthy salad for breakfast (romaine lettuce, chopped apple half, slivered almonds and cran raisins topped with no-fat tangy Italian dressing).

Whis is this so amazing? I had heart palpatations due to low potassium and had reached 254 pounds at the height of 5′ 2″. I started to listen to relaxation music, stretch and eat in my personally, inspired way. Every two weeks a pound came off. I was inspired with forgiveness towards past-viewed wrongs. I saw my life as a gift, with an open path to move forward. I had started to walk, again. At the end of 2008, I had to step in as Power of Attorney for a 62 year old sister who was brain damaged as the result of being hit by a drunk driver. She is a highly intelligent woman, who lost her independence at age 20 when she flew head-first out her car door. I had been afraid of her, growing up (age 8 when she was hit); but I had to step up and learn how to interact with her in a healthy manner to help her out.

Long story short, she is now in a nursing home, and her husband is in Assisted Living at the same home. It took a few years of fighting for her rights, dealing with hospital staff, nursing home staff, etc. to get it all worked out. All this took a toll on me, and I tail-spinned back into ‘quick and easy’ – ‘not prepared’ nor healthy foods and drinks. It’s now 2012, another sister stepped in to help with the medical power of attorney, and I help with the financial end. My mom is in hospice, a younger sister representing her – and I’ve helped out – again, sending me into a tailspin of bad childhood memories.

I share all the above to show that life has had its interesting experiences in our family.
I also share it to show that it’s possible to LIVE LIFE in a HEALTHY way, nonetheless.
I made use of one on one counseling, support groups, 12 step programs, etc. I joined a local church, learned to talk to others, journal, express my feelings etc.

This all led me to LETTING GO of a high-paying State Govt tech support job to set up my LAFOLOT.com business in order to help others with Healthy Socialization and Peace through Laughter therapy/wellness. In addition, it has grown into my sharing Healthy Trigger Tools to use on a moment to moment basis; for others to deal with life with positive outlook shifts.

Again, I share all this to show IT WORKS. I encourage others to JUST BE. BE YOU! BE and SEE what works for YOU! What healthy habits and patterns work for you? Stop, pause, think about it. I found that eating raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, walking, relaxation/meditation, positive thinking, feeling-healing; facing and replacing old, worn out thoughts – worked for me.

So, today – after hitting a pit in my life-change plans from 2009 through 2012, I am coming out of the dark! A condo I had wished to sell, is finally being purchased after 2 years. I had incurred a 13,000 – plus – IRS debt due to a retirement withdrawal on top of the family medical/emotional challenges. I continued eating healthy salads for breakfast, through it all, and switched to a SUBWAY healthy flat-bread sandwhich each day. This got me out of the house, networking, socializing and still eating healthy.

I let go of my television, which wasn’t healthy for me. I grew up in front of a television, and tend towards ‘couch-potato syndrome’. I switched over to sitting out on the porch, looking at the sky and appreciating the activity of the birds, saying Hello to neighbors, etc.

I share all this, because I feel I am a LIVING, BREATHING, HEALTHY (mentally/emotionally/physically) testament to BEing and LIVING Healthily according to what works for ME – not what society states or what someone else tells me I should be doing.

I ask: WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? I made a LIST of Healthy Foods (I don’t like to cook); and I went out and bought those foods – using them in moderation. I no longer showed pre-diabetic! My bladder is healthy! My blood pressure remains healthy!

Without trying, after my tail-spin due to family challenges – my morning salad as well as healthy SUBWAY lunch routine – without my realizing it – took me back down 13 pounds!

I got the good news, this morning, that I can take up riding a bike again, and walking in moderation – due to concerns with past abuse of knees and hip joints, due to over exercise.

I studied interior design, out of highschool. My key point to people is: How do YOU want to USE or LIVE in your HOME? At one point, I had a ‘music and movement’ room where I practiced my clarinet and did my exercises. Do you NEED a Dining Room? How else might you use it?

The same with your personal, healthy living and eating lifestyles. Research, take notes, what works for YOU? I think you’ll find that once you ask yourself those questions – there will be less stress, less depression, less binging, less ‘quick fixes’ with sugars and white flowers – because your body, mind, heart and soul will be LIVING HAPPILY AND HEALTHILY!

Ah! HA! HA! HEALTHY Helen of LAFOLOT.COM
OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER! Hear! Here!
rePHeshing Thoughts and rePHreshing Outlooks

Look Out! It’s the NEW YOU!

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 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!) 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!

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!

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!