LAFOLOT

WOW! Today, here in Central Pennsylvania, we are having a TEASER-SPRING Day! We had a few days of cold, March winds. But, AH! YES! today, the sun is shining, it is high 40 degree fahrenheit weather. The birds are chirping, just a gentle breeze. SIGH … what a blessing!

I went to a local SUBWAY I frequent. While I was sitting there, a tall man came in with a cute toddler girl. He greeted the restaurant owner by name and talked warmly with him. I helped direct him to the MILK and JUICE in the refrigerator at the end of the service line. The little girl picked out her prize juice and carried it proudly to the checkout counter.

The man continued to talk warmly and compliment the owner. He then sat down with his daughter or grand-daughter. He made sure she was safely tucked into her chair, having her juice and a cookie for a snack.

As they got up to leave, he voiced thanks and warm wishes to the owner for a good day and much success.

Then, a mom came in with her pre-teen daughter. As they stood in line, I noticed the girl had the most beautiful, natural blonde hair. Her mom had dark brown hair. You could tell they were mom and daughter by their similar facial features. I said out loud: ‘Wow! She has the most beautiful, blonde hair I have ever seen!’ The girl smiled and thanked me, as well as her mom.

I then said: ‘OH! I shouldn’t just focus on an external attribute; I’m SURE she is BEAUTIFUl INSIDE AND OUT as well!’ The mom smiled and laughed, thanking me, and said: ‘Yes! She is!’ The daughter smiled.

On this BEAUTIFUL DAY in Central PA, it appears it is a DAY of BEAUTY – both INSIDE and OUT! Not only weather-wise.

Get out and SPREAD SOME SUNSHINE – with words and actions and appreciation of the beauty of it all.

Stay sweet!

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT.com

OMG! You just don’t UNDERSTAND me!

LOL! OMG! I can just HEAR this new TEEN CALENDAR YEAR 2013!

No WONDER the MAYANS thought the world was going to end! It’s the start of the TEEN years of the 2000s!

No WONDER they were seeing the year STORMING out of the UNIVERSE, because WE JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND IT!
(Insert foot stomp here.) HA HA

No WONDER the Mayans were seeing EARTHQUAKES? Could it be from the Calendar Year FOOT STOMPS and EYE ROLLS!

OMG! We JUST WON’T UNDERSTAND THIS YEAR! … or the next 7 years of THE TEEN YEARS!

No need to ‘LIVE IN FEARS’ … it’s just that TEEN DRAMA!

The next 7 TEEN calendar years 2013 through 2019 will JUST HAVE TO GET INTO SELF-DISCOVERY!

Don’t TRY to UNDERSTAND it! Just LOVE the TEEN years, and eventually, they will realize you were there, being ACCEPTING and SUPPORTIVE through it all.

ROLL with the TIDES
Go INDOORS during the STORMS
if you’re on SHAKY GROUND – go somewhere SOUND.

All we can do is BE SUPPORTIVE of ONE ANOTHER while the CALENDAR YEARS go through their TEENS!

If you know what I MEANS! Ut! Oh! I feel an EYE ROLL coming on! HA HA HA HA

HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT.com
having PHreshOUTLOOK on the MAYAN OH! MAYAN!!!! theory!
Hear! Here!

OH NO! IS IT THE END OF THE WORLD?

or

is it the DAWNING of a NEW DAY!

This THURSDAY is October 10, 2012

In ‘American’ … that would be:   10-11-12           How GREAT is THAT!

If you look further … THAT date is sandwhiched inbetween:    October  10, 11, 12, 2012

So … there is a 10-11-12   inbetween  October 10th, 11th and 12th!

END of the WORLD or the BEginning of a NEW DAY!

Synchronistically, I just think it is FUN and AH! MAZING!

Maybe it’s a day to get all your DUCKS in a ROW … or all your NUMBERS in a ROW?   :-)

Either way!  Have a HAPPY, NEW D.A.Y!   (Dance And Yodle!)

HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT.com

OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER!

I was at a local pharmacy the other day. They had a 75 percent markdown table. It had a lot of hair care products on it. I started to read the labels on the front, to see what they did, in the event I could make use of them. I found their SUPER POWERS AH! MAZING!

I then started to read the back labels, for additional information. WOW! (World Of Wonder!) These products were SUPER PRODUCTS! They had TRANSFORMATIONAL POWERS!

The more I read, the more I started to SMILE, then LAUGH!  :-)

I started to think, if these hair care products could do so much for a person’s hair; just THINK what they could do for a person’s SELF-ESTEEM!

Taking it further … just THINK what these products could do for WORLD PEACE!

If these SUPER-POWERED hair care products could be distributed around the world; they could make everyone FEEL SO GREAT that no one would want to fight with one another; and they would LOOK FANTASTIC, too!

Just imagine: SHAMPOO FOR PEACE!  :-)

Apply daily, or as often as needed!

Able to calm and beautify – within and without!

Able to UPLIFT and ENHANCE personal feelings of JOY and SELF-CARING; as well as bringing JOY and CARING to others!

Able to initiate OPEN, HEALTHY COMMUNICATION and RESPECT for personal space of others!

SHAMPOO FOR PEACE! TRY IT TODAY! TRY IT EVERYDAY! BUY IT AS A GIFT! SHARE THE LOVE!

The SUPER POWERED – EMPOWERED SHAMPOO for THE WORLD! (Also available with HIGHLIGHT features – for a more enlightened application!)

WASH AWAY THOSE FEELINGS OF NEGATIVITY, HATE, HURT, ANGER, FRUSTRATION – AND ALLOW THE SHAMPOO BUBBLES TO BUBBLE-UP DE-LIGHT and DELICIOUS Healthy Interaction of Respect and Healthy Socialization!

HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT.com – OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER! Hear! Here!

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

Calling upon angels for a sign that things will be ‘F-I-N-E’ (some folks will understand the humor in that)…; I can across a 91 year old angel.

I was exiting a local grocery store, crossing the parking lot with my cart, and noticed a woman sitting in her car – driver door open – legs out – pausing to exit the vehicle. To be KIND, just in case there was an issue, I called over: ‘Do you need any help? Just checking. … as I stepped over in her direction at the handicap parking spot.

‘No’ she responded… ‘I’m just giving myself some time to adjust, I just took off the sock the doctor had me put on my foot – it was too tight and my foot is swollen.’

I had been LOOKING FOR A SIGN (playing my usual license plate game) – but nothing had appeared. Guess ‘someone out there’ thought I needed a ‘talking to.’ HA HA. Dealing with family and life challenges can be a bit much, at times – IT’S LIFE – but, just sometimes – you want a break from it. I haven’t been able to take a break from it since 2008, due to a slew of circumstances, one after the other.

So – having been on my PITTY POT the last couple days – I think this 91 year old ANGEL was sent to GET THE JOB DONE!

What a beautiful soul! 91 years old, white-fluffy-curly hair – wearing Bright, Colorful, Floral-print slacks, a Pink Shirt – looking GORGEOUS! This woman had the WISDOM OF THE AGES in her!

I had a wonderful conversation with her. She told me about her husband, who was an extremely healthy eater, but had died of a staf infection. She said: THAT’S LIFE! We talk about ‘when it’s YOUR TIME, it’s YOUR TIME! I told her about my oldest sister Dolly, and my mom – with their super strong spirits!

She told me about a form of BONE Tuberculosis she had in her early years – that caused her to be in a full body cast from age 10 to age 18. She noted how they didn’t have visiting nurses, and the task was all on her mom to manage it all. BUT WE DID! she noted. We DID, because we HAD to! My mom used to say the same thing about her family, and THE GREAT DEPRESSION.

Well! I had been in a DEPRESSION – and the universe sent this SPIRITED ANGEL to SNAP ME OUT OF IT! DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO – she was noting – LIVE WISE – NO NEED TO RUSH (as she comfortably waited for the right time to stand).

I told her I was grateful I got to meet her. I told her she helped to turn my day around. She returned the compliments.

When I got in the car, PAT BENATAR’s song: ‘WE BELONG’ was playing on the radio. I never, truly heard those words before.

WHAT A STRONG, SPIRITUAL MESSAGE in that song:

Many times I’ve tried to tell you, many times I’ve cried alone
Always I’m surprised how well you cut my feelings to the bone
Don’t wanna leave you really, I’ve invested too much time
To give you up that easy, to the doubts that complicate your mind

Close your eyes and try to sleep now, close your eyes and try to dream
Clear your mind and do your best to try and wash the palette clean
We can’t begin to know it, how much we really care
I hear your voice inside me, I see your face everywhere, still you say

Gratitude and Thanks for this ANGEL -

Ha Ha Helen of LAFOLOT.com

I developed a talk called: ‘WHO? ARE YOU? WHO? WHO? WHO? WHO?’ (thanks to the song by THE WHO!)

It is based on my own life experience, in my own metomorphosis from HELEN to:

HAPPENING HELEN (a nickname given to me by Edwards Holliday, President, Atlantic Leadership Group – back in the late 1990s – when I started to do Public Speaking, Acting, found my Singing voice, etc.)

Growing up, there weren’t any nicknames for HELEN. At a parttime sales job in early 1990s, a coworker nicknamed me ‘HECK’ since the short version of HELEN would be cursing! ha ha ha
I ‘LIKED’ it! I finally had a CASUAL name! HELEN is such a HEAVY-DUTY name!

Later on, as I started to dabble in acting, I nicknamed myself HOLLYWOOD HELEN! When I started to rePHresh my life and grow forward, I called myself: HEALING HELEN or HEALTHY HELEN – as I changed my daily habits!

It only seemed natural, when I started my LAFOLOT.COM business, that I would become: HA HA HELEN!

So, as I looked through my ‘WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY AND ROGET’S THESAURUS’ the other morning, I came across the word: HOLOMETABOLIC It is an Adjective applied to insects who undergo a complete metamorphosis. Think of the caterpillar to the butterfly.

So, now – having gone through a major metamorphosis from age 40 through 53, I now SEE – *hee hee – I AM: HOLOMETABOLIC HELEN! HOLY HECK! for short!

NICE TO MEET YOU!

HA HA Helen Szollosy, Outlook Shift Engineer! Hear! Here!
Creator, Owner and Sole Proprietor of LAFOLOT.COM – providing healthy trigger tools, healthy socialization through laughter wellness, and PHresh Outlooks!

I always found it an interesting observation about the nature of addict behavior. We might judge an addict as not caring about their life; when, if you look closely, there’s a perfectionism about the mis-management of the life.

Coming from a family of addicts, I got to personally view a lot of interesting behavior, as well as my own through continuing to become aware, feel, and heal.

For example, I have 3 sets of neighbors who are meticulous in maintaining their homes! These are ‘good’ people! Hard working! Good parents and grandparents. I ‘see the love’ and ‘healthy interaction’ when the children and grandkids come to visit. Then there is, in all 3 households, the addiction of tobacco smoke use.

With all this meticulous detail to the External Physical Environment, to the kids, grandkids, to the dedication to the employment, there’s the Lack of Awareness and Concern for the INTERNAL PHYSICAL self.

I learned, through 12 step programs, to separate the different aspects of a person with addictions. It’s how I came to appreciate the ‘other qualities’ of my own mom, separate from her abuse of alcohol.

It saddened me to observe the one family openly smoking in front of their grandchildren the other day. One particular moment involved the 2 year old REACHING UPWARD for ‘Grandma’s’ cigarette – as if it were candy or a toy! Why couldn’t she have it? She wondered. The grandma not being aware of what was being taught to the toddler. The grandma not being AWARE of the gaseous-smoke being wafted around the child’s play area.

Yesterday, I observed one of the other couples, sitting on their front porch, loving and enjoying the company of the newest grandchild, less than a year old, sitting on the grandma’s lap. Both grandparents smoke and were actively smoking with the baby there.

Again, meticulous house, would protect that baby’s physical self in a heartbeat. Would jump in front of a moving train, yet the ADDICTION blinding the harm it is inflicting on the baby. I’ve seen the same with the addiction to white flower/sugar/grease/fat. A mother actively ingesting 2 cookies while sitting at a local sandwhich shop; handfeeding them to the toddler, and then purchasing a dozen more to take with them. Having an issue with that myself, I had a strong feeling those cookies wouldn’t make it home.

Another instance, I observed a mother allowing a child to actively just eat the butter out of the butter packets, one after the other, at a local restaurant. Addictions come in all shapes and sizes at an early age. Addiction or the body starving for proper nutrition? I couldn’t say.

The Department of Health put up Billboards, years back, showing how ODD, SICKLY etc. persons look, who smoke tobacco. They were trying to bring awareness.

I have a new thought or suggestion to the Department of Health. Perhaps if they put up billboards – graphically showing the harmful smoke being wafted across the faces of the Babies, Children, Pets, Wildlife (graphically – not a true photo) – it would AWAKE the addicts?

But then again, WHAT AM I SAYING? The only person that can change the habits of an addict, are the addicts themselves.

BEing, sitting, and observing – LIFE in action … or DESTRUCTION?

i n t e r e s t i n g …

I’m not a parent, I don’t have children, I can only observe and ponder, not judge, as I wonder. I see the external, physical love of ENVIRONMENT and the CARING of the INTERNAL SELF for self and other ‘loved’ ones going UP – IN – SMOKE.

Helen

I wrote a book called: Life is a Song in the Key of Love or Growing Up with the Embarrassment of Prejudice. I note that bias, prejudice and stereotype may be ‘handed-down’ through generations; without being questioned. The bias, stereotype, or prejudice statements or actions may be repeated over and over; but not FELT. I suggest doing a self-review of how YOU feel or THINK based on your own life experiences, and not based on something held onto by generations past.

I like using right brain, creative methods to get serious points across. In my book, I make reference to sheet music.

Now, I’d like to suggest another method! WHAT Fairy Tales, Fables or Labels are you receiving or giving out, that you may want to RE-VIEW? rePHresh your thinking, reLOOK, reVIEW, step back and SEE aNEW! WHO are YOU? How do YOU feel?

Get rid of the False Fairy Tales, Fables and Labels, OH MY! Why? Because Fairy Tales and Fables are written to TEACH LIFE LESSONS. Are the ones you are holding onto, or creating, a TRUTH for YOU; or were they handed to you by a peer, family member, etc. who had a life experience that doesn’t resonate with you?

I give a talk called: PEER POSITIVE! I talk about letting go of the PEER PRESSURE and PEER FEAR and becoming PEER POSITIVE! Peers may hold one another back due to personal life experiences that caused them to shrink back or give up a goal. Their own fear translates into an intention to protect you from having their same, fearful or uncomfortable life experience. But! It doesn’t have to be yours.

So, what are your FAIR TALES, FABLES AND LABELS? OH MY! Make a list, check it twice, and see if the Action/Reactions in your life are FALSE Fables or Tales that need to be ‘TAIL WAGGED’ and swiped away from your everyday interactions. Create peace within you, and work towards a world of peace.

… and they lived happily ever after!

HA HA Helen Szollosy, OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER! Hear! Here!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com

Nature and children are the best teachers!

I was sitting in a window seat at a local SUBWAY owned by Kathy George, a business networking colleague. A larger size fly had unfortunately gotten drawn in and trapped indoors. The fly was frantically, trying to figure out WHY it couldn’t FLY AWAY as it walked, buzzed, flitted around the full, glass window.

It fell onto its back and frantically buzzed, on the window ledge next to me. I felt badly, for it. I gave it a couple nudges to help get it upright and it jumped back onto the window. Once again, not realizing freedom was on the other side.

I had an AH! HA! moment a few years back at age 49. I went from FEARING insects to appreciating life in ALL its forms of expression. I wanted to give this fly the FREEDOM to live out its life outside, instead of walking in a confused state, up and down the window. I tried 3 times to get it to fall into an empty Chip Bag I had on my table. But, it caused the fly to panic more, buzz excitedly. I wanted to put it in the bag and take it to the door to let it fly free. I decided to let it go, rather than to cause it more stress.

I asked myself. WHAT am I learning from this? The window with light streaming through, showing the outside – is a FALSE REALITY? Do I need to change my view of things and situations in life? I then thought, ‘things aren’t always as they seem’. The fly was teaching me a lesson. If the fly could just let go of the notion that this light, view was its way to move forward, it could fly around and possibly end up outside, next time someone entered.

The next day, I went to the same location for lunch, taking a seat in the same spot. I looked down and to the left and my friend, the fly, was dead. I felt deeply for this life/soul that hadn’t gotten to enjoy the great outdoors, finishing its life frantically walking up and down a FALSE REALITY of light streeming through the window glass.

I mourned the death of this fly, as I sat there, and blessed its soul for having lived and taught me a valuable lesson.

Then, a mother and her little toddler girl came walking across the parking lot to enter the SUBWAY. The little girl had on cute, pink, basketball sneakers. As they entered, I announced with a SMILE – I LOVE YOUR SNEAKERS! The mother said to the little girl: ‘What do you say?’ The little girl said: THANK YOU! Then she said to me: ‘THE SUN IS AWAKE!’ (It was in toddler talk, so she repeated it a couple times and the mom helped me to translate.)

The little girl was very excited about telling me that the sun was shining, the rain was gone from the day before, and it was a beautiful, sunshiny day. So after she repeated THE SUN IS AWAKE several times, she then noted: The MOON WAS ASLEEP! Yes, she repeated this several times!

I smiled, thanked her for the wonderful information she had given me, and said: I BET YOU’LL MAKE A GREAT WEATHER FORECASTER or ASTRONOMER when you grow up! The mom thanked me and smiled.

I then sat there AH! MAZED! Like the FLY, the little toddler girl was giving me the same message: ‘THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM!’ No, the sun wasn’t awake and the moon wasn’t asleep, but in HER EYES, that’s how it seemed.

I say I am an OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER, because I’ve learned to look at LIFE and its SITUATIONS with a PHresh (Fresh) Outlook! Feeling down, feeling blue, how does the WORLD LOOK TO YOU? It’s my constant message to myself and others. It’s ALL in HOW you LOOK at it!

I had been feeling frustrated with my condominium not selling, my finances on a tight leash, and working 3 flexible, parttime jobs. My oldest sister Dolly in a nursing home at an early age due to being hit by a drunk driver at age 21 – permanently brain damaged (now 64); and not being respected. My mom in hospice, frustrated with her situation. But the people I’m meeting and the experiences I’m having on this journey are very interesting. If this life experience, seeming like terrible struggles to me at the moment, wouldn’t be happening; I would have met the people I have gotten the chance to meet and possibly help.

It’s all helped me to see LIFE with a PHresh Outlook.

So I sit in humble appreciation for the message from THE FLY and the Little Toddler Girl – that now allows me to FLY FREE!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Look Out! It’s Life! From a PHresh Outlook!