LAFOLOT

I used to think, I COULDA HAD A V8! *Smack in the forehead.
Now, I see, I COULDA JUST DONE ‘THE ERICA METHOD!’

Felt this note from my friend, Erica, was BLOG-WORTHY!
So yesterday (3/11/12) was a good day.

Not because anything particularly good happened.

But in a nutshell, here’s what happened:

I had decided before to try and not be so mean and vulgar in language when dealing with other drivers.

Well, on Sunday, I didn’t lose my temper once. (I blamed it on listening to an old choir cd.)

And I was just calm, and positive, and happy. Wouldn’t you know, I got all the way from Shellsville, along Old Jonestown Road, across 39, continued on Old Jonestown Road, stopped at the one awkward stopping intersection, crossed Rte 22, continued on Old Jonestown Road to Nyes Road, to Union Deposit Road, to East Park Drive to the Giant store, and I only hit ONE red light…it was the left turn to turn onto East Park Drive before turning into the Giant (foodstore…not really big human)!

I figured I had some sort of good karma going.

And then instead of getting frustrated trying to look for a spot right up as close as I could get, I picked a nice one (wasn’t even a pull through) a bit of the ways out thinking “I’ve got good legs. I can walk it. I am thankful I have two good legs and to celebrate I’m going to walk the extra distance.”

Then on my way across the parking lot I saw an older (75-85 year old) lady slowly pushing her cart away from her car and towards the cart island/return (whatever it’s called). I said to her, “Excuse me, are you done with that, because that’s just the size shopping cart I want to use. Can I take that for you?” With a smile on her face she thanked me and turned back towards her car. She mentioned how nice the weather it was and I wished her a happy day.

Yesterday was FILLED with instances like that! All day! I just did little things for people, and enjoyed their smiles in return.

And I kept my calm.

I didn’t get frustrated at other drivers.

I let others go first.

…and it was a good day!

Just thought I’d share that with you.

Erica

passed on by: Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT.COM
LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
Live Life in AH! MAZEMENT!
Be in AWE of it ALL!

Did you miss your present? hmm?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When it was done we had a chuckle.

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

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

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