LAFOLOT

Here the ‘CAW CAW!’ call of the Universe! 

Life isn’t ‘just for the birds’.    

So – as the story goes – Charles Fogarty walks into a SUBWAY and a woman sitting at the front window table says:

‘Are you John Fogarty?’ (she noticed the JOHN FOGARTY … Custom Homes cap he was wearing).

He responds: “Why yes! How do you know me?’ (as he walks towards her to shake her hand.

She responds: “I’m Psychic! Plus, I saw it written on your cap!’ (she smiles)

I ‘YAM’ HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT, and I love talking and interacting with total strangers in a fun way.

I later found out, per this man, he calls himself a: ‘FUN FINDER!’   Can I spot them or what?

I found out ‘he’ is CHARLES Fogarty, very PROUD brother of THE LATE ‘JOHN FOGARTY’ who donated money to a BOY SCOUT Camp in Sunbury, Pennsylvania; to allow for a ‘dining hall’ to be built!

He was accompanied by another gentleman who had been a local troop scout leader for almost 20 years!  I learned they had stopped by to pick up two dozen cookies to take to the DEDICATION of the DINING HALL which his brother had made possible!

Another wonderful thing; one of the sandwhich artists at the SUBWAY got to let Charles know that HE was an EAGLE SCOUT!  What a coincidence!   I also live a couple homes away from a proud father of an Eagle Scout!

I let Charles know that I ‘YAM’ a Certified Laughter Leader who present laughter wellness to folks.  He seemed to feel he had heard of me from some friends in the area!  I started to explain the AH-LO-HA ha ha ha laugh to Charles, when, I didn’t have to even finish!  He had never heard of the ALOHA LAUGH EXERCISE, but he just let the laughter flow out of him, easily!  I told him he was a natural!

That’s when he told me he was a FUN FINDER!

Well! What do you know!  A whole lot of HEALTHY, FUN, APPRECIATIVE, PROUD people walked into a SUBWAY today – and accidentally/on purpose – ran into eachother!

That’s the SPIRIT!  The Spirit of Laughter!  Drawing folks together in HEALTHY SOCIALIZATION!

That’s what I do …  DO WEAR IT OUT!  HA HA HA HA HA …   it’s healthy!

What a great GIFT for this man’s brother, John Fogarty, to leave behind for the SUNBURY BOY SCOUT camp!

Enjoy the fresh cookies!

HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT (Outlook Shift Engineer! Hear! Here!)

Live Life! Laugh Often!

Feeling stressed or frustrated with a situation; maybe it’s TIME 2 LAUGH?

I couldn’t sleep (as menopausally usual); and my Alpha Male cat ‘Buddy’ has taken advantage of the situation!

He now sees any time after 2:00 AM as feeding time!  If I am not awake, he knows that by whacking at the shower curtain in the bathroom off my bedroom; or using his paw to slightly open and slam the under sink cabinet, will awake me!

His partner in crime, ‘Fonzie’ (the formerly ferel cat  - but now a friendly cat) mills around and mews, also.  It’s a tag team event to AWAKE the BIG ‘HAIRLESS’ CAT to get her to put out the moist food.  What a BROOD!

Yes, this can be quite annoying and frustrating.

Yes, I fall for the ‘using human language to yell at them to stop’.  ”What kind of fool am I?”  ha ha

and – the LAUGHABLE part of the  ’combined/planned method’ by my two cats, this morning arrived at the MOST HILARIOUS time!

2:43 AM!   Why?

I developed a method called: TIME 2 LAUGH    - it involves looking at life from a PHresh Perspective, a new angle.  If you need a little help, I encourage you to look at the digital clock numbers as LETTERS, to spell words.  I invite you to look at them UPSIDEDOWN and BACKWARDS for a PHresh Outlook!

As I’m awakened by these fluffy, furballs being totally annoying – waking me out of a sound sleep … I see the clock … 2:43 AM!

I start to smile and laugh:   Eh2  (Eh 2)  which remind me of ET TU BRUTE’?   

I instantly thought of:  It’s CAESAR TIME!   

Not only was I being swindled by ONE cat, but by the OTHER as well!  

So, from now on, I declare:  2:43 CAESAR TIME!  Hear ye! Hear ye!   

Hear! Here!  Life isn’t always fare.  Sometimes we feel like we are being ganged up on by an organized team.   So it may seem.

What to do?  Relieve the stress with a smile or some laughter or a nod and smile, knowing – I’M THE BIG, HAIRLESS CAT!  I’ll just let them think they’re in charge.  *hee hee hee    They’re cut, fun and friendly and they get me up off the chair for cat toy exercise toss!

Laugh out loud.    Everything has a purpose.  Sometimes, we don’t see it till later.  Sometimes we’re stuck in the muck.  Sometimes we need a couple cute cats to change our PURRRRRRRRspective.

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT

Looking at life from a PHresh purrrrspective

Live Life! Laugh Often!  Oooh! Oooh! Cat toy! Cat toy! Oh boy!   POUNCE!

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!

I had the opportunity to ‘take a moment’ at Children’s Lake in Boiling Springs PA (Central Pennsylvania), today.

I slowly approached a wooden bench, near some ducks sleeping at the waters edge. They had their heads tucked into their wings. I was successful, they continued to relax.

As I sat there, enjoying the sunlight reflecting on the water ripples, made by the ducks and geese navigating the water – I had to smile.

I listened to the variety of sounds coming from the geese and the ducks. Every so often, a goose would let out a Phyllis Diller (comic) type laugh. Hehhhhh Hehhhhhh Hehhhhh I ‘HAD’ to laugh!

Every so often, a duck would let out a ‘chatter-type’ laugh, as it vocalized and pecked for food on the water surface.

After a while, it got to be quite comical! Since I am a certified, trained Laughter Therapist/Leader with the World Laughter Tour, Co. – I felt it only NATURAL to ‘take the lead’ from the FOWLS (birds) and join in on the NATURAL LAUGHTER CLUB!

The goose would start its laugh – hehh hehhh hehhh and I would repeat!
The duck would start its laugh – hehhehheh, hehhehheh and I would repeat!

I naturally started to LAUGH OUT LOUD at the beauty, wonder and naturally healthy silliness of it all! GUFFAW!

All this time, I was looking for places to hold Laughter Clubs and frustrated when folks wouldn’t show – and here it was – right in front of me, naturally *HEE HEE HEE

I have to tell you, those BIRDS of a FEATHER do FLOCK together! They also know how to get together and laugh and have a good time!

I’m so glad they accepted me into their LAUGHTER CLUB! LAUGHTER, it’s NOT just FOR THE BIRDS!

HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT … in gratitude!

HA HA HELENISMS – PLANETARY MUMBLINGS
(created: 2:30pm – August 15, 2012 – www.LAFOLOT.com)

EARTH: ‘I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m going in circles?’

SUN: ‘I’m HOT, baby – I’m HOT!’

URANUS: ‘Release … let go … ohmmmm’

MARS: ‘Mine? Yours? … … … MARS!’

JUPITER: ‘JU-PIT-ER DO IT! NOW!’

VENUS: (whispering to a friend) ‘This is VE-NUS, only – nobody else needs to know!’

PLUTO: ‘Stepped on a blueberry … now have a PLU-TO.’

MERCURY: ‘They were cured on a Merry Christmas! It was a MER-CURY!’

NEPTUNE: ‘I’m really tired, I’m gonna need a NEP-TUNE. *yawn)

SATURN: ‘Make SATURN, NOW! … or we’ll miss the entrance!’

MOON: ‘Feeling a little Blue … *sigh…’

what can I say? THIS is what happens when I’m feeling run down… I take a nap … and AH! WAKE! with creativity! *HEE HEE HEE Silly Me!

Ha Ha Helen Marie Szollosy, Outlook Shift Engineer! Hear! Here!
making her stand-up comedy debut appearance – Thursday – August 16, 2012
HARRISBURG COMEDY CLUB 110 Limekiln Rd, New Cumberland PA 17070

One of the many gifts of life, is to hear/feel the purr of a cat as they appreciate your attention!
My cat, Kitty, is currently walking across my arms and desk as I try to type! PURRfect!

NOTICE ME! APPRECIATE ME! She is saying … (OK – it’s a SCENT and ownership thing, but IT’S ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT IT, NO?) YES!

What a purrfectly, purriceless day I have had so far! I stopped at a business associate’s KATHY GEORGE’S SUBWAY at Windsor Park to be serviced exquisitely by familiar, friendly staff! Thanks to CHRIS for making my favorite, flat bread sandwich PURRFECTLY!

While there, a friendly, not afraid to dance to the music customer, noted that he was a teacher and gets his kids to dance with him! As a result, I got to ‘work it’ and ‘network’ by telling him, and demonstrating to him, my Have a Great D.A.Y. (Dance And Yodle) uplift your mood movement! He appreciated it, I gave him two of my LAFOLOT, Yellow Bookmarks/Business Cards! How PURRfect! A Possible Program may be scheduled!

I then headed over to Hampden Center Plaza where I found a PPTP! (Purrfect Place To Park!) next to the DOLLARTREE where I buy my ‘Adult Professional Stress Reliever Tools’. Okay, they are pinwheels to some, but it’s ALL IN HOW YOU LOOK AT THEM! Luckily! They were back in stock after the winter! The friendly, helpful manager/cashier took care of me PURRfectly, gave me further information about getting my BALLET GIRL RHINO TOY – video out on the DOLLARTREE site! I told him how I am improvisational, and to prove it, I bought 3 items from Dollartree and made a LEARNING LESSON-AWARENESS video out of them! It goes with the theme of my book: ‘Life is a Song in the Key of Love’ about appreciating life in all its forms of expression!

When leaving the parking lot, I saw a Purrsonalized License Plate: SMYLE How Purrfect was that?
Going with my LAFOLOT Drive Yourself Happy! motivational method!

When I got home, I checked my mailbox to find an early birthday card from a friend. Friends are PURRFECTLY PURRICELESS! My friend, Dona, had sent me a card noting: ‘Keep in Mind Stressed is Desserts Spelled Backwards!’ How PURRfect was THAT to go with my OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEERING lessons on seeing LIFE from a PHresh Outlook! It’s ALL in how you look at it!

When I opened the card, I had a HEALTHY LAUGH OUT LOUD! She had sent a refrigerator magnet with a PURRFECTLY STERN, GRUMPY ‘appearing’ cat with the caption: ‘This IS my happy face…’

How PURRfect to go with my story of how my SMILE CAMPAIGN started, with people assuming I was mad or grumpy just because of my normal facial expression!

A PURRfectly PURRiceless day full of beautiful SERVICE, NETWORKING and PURRecious, PURRiceless friends!

May you have the kind of day that makes you want to PURRRRRR.

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT.COM
Outlook Shift Engineer! Hear! Here!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
It’s ALL in HOW you LOOK at it…

I had to smile and shake my head as I responded: ‘STAY FOCUSED ON THE PRESENT, IT’S A GIFT!’

It’s the middle of winter 2011-12 in Central PA, USA. It is 56 degrees fahrenheit! That’s SPRING weather in my neck of the woods!

I stepped away from my home office computer, and stepped out of the house to SOAK UP THE SUN!
Get my blood flowing through my veins.
Get some exercise.
Take in the fresh air, blue skies and JUST BE!

I encountered a Bush-full of Birdies TOYING with a nearby black cat. He (I’m assuming due to the size) caught my eye, meowed and I invited him over by calling out HELLO! KITTY! He came bounding over to me, greeting me ‘CAT STYLE’ and rolled over for me to pet him! He appeared very healthy, and to belong to a nearby home. He even let out a few MEOWS to chat a bit.

I continued on my walk, smiling and singing in my head ‘WALKING ‘in’ SUNSHINE … oh yeah … and DON’T IT FEEL GOOD!’ .. to paraphrase Katrina and the Waves.

As I came around the bend in my housing community, I saw the school bus dropping off some kids. I eventually encountered them and HAD TO SMILE, as the two pre-teen girls had on shorts, a sleeveless top and had taken off their lightweight jackets.

I said: ‘HOW DO YOU LIKE THIS SPRING WEATHER! I’M 52 AND DON’T RECALL A WINTER SO MILD AS THIS IN ALL MY YEARS!’

The one girl responded as they passed: ‘YEAHBUT, IT’S SUPPOSED TO GET COLD IN FEBRUARY!’

‘STAY FOCUSED ON THE PRESENT, IT’S A GIFT!’ I just had to call back to them, as I shook my head side-to-side. They were only teens and had picked up the familiar follow-up phrase of doom and gloom and dread …. ‘THINGS MAY BE OKAY NOW – BUT JUST YOU WAIT!’

‘YEAHBUT’ isn’t a word. How about RELEARNING and RETEACHING our children: IT’S OKAY TO ENJOY THE PRESENT! IT’S A GIFT!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER! Hear! Here!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
rePHRESHing your thinking with HEALTHY OUTLOOKS!

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 …