LAFOLOT

As a Certified Laughter Leader (Laughter Therapy/Laughter Wellness), I came to know the value of a SMILE from the physical health benefits; and grew to appreciate the emotional and personal benefits for me and everyone I encounter!

I used to be ORDERED to SMILE! by coworkers. It would bother me or make me angry, since I was JUST BEING ME. I would be in an average mood, thinking, just being, walking – then someone would come towards me and order: SMILE! This didn’t help.

Once I became a Laughter Wellness Program facilitator and started to read and learn about the scientific, medical, emotional, mental benefits of smiling I was skeptical. So, I started my OWN experiment! I needed PROOF! I started to SMILE a closed-mouth smile at everyone I encountered. I made a game of it! If someone smiled back; I gave myself one point! If someone smiled and said Hello! I gave myself 2 points! If I got a smile THROUGH GLASS – like a car or window of a store – I gave myself 5 points for the POWER BOOST SMILE!

A funny thing happened! It no longer was a scientific experiment; it became socially and emotionally heart-warming and uplifting! It was like the Holiday Cartoon: THE GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS … ‘his heart grew 10 times that day!’ The same thing happened to me!

I would smile, and people not only smiled back; they’d stop and TALK TO ME! I would just stand there, smiling and they would have an entire conversation with me! I would then let them know about my SMILE CAMPAIGN, experiment. I would give them a SMILEY FACE LAFOLOT Bookmark with a positive statement on it. They would SMILE and thank me! WOW! ANOTHER POINT!

So, thus began the HA HA HELEN OF LAFOLOT – SMILE CAMPAIGN! This started in about May of 2008 after I was certified as a Laughter Therapy Leader.

Fast forward: Tonight I earned 20 POINTS! HA HA HAAAA! How ‘em I doin’?

I smiled through the Patio Glass of a local restaurant – an older woman smiled back! 5 points! YES!
I smiled at a young girl driving her car into the parking lot, as I was leaving; she smiled back! 5 points! YES!
I smiled at another young mom, singing in her drivers seat and talking to her toddler in the back seat, while she waited for the left turn signal to turn green. I was wearing my clown nose. She looked up and SMILED! and Laughed! 5 points! YES!
I went to the self-serve Gas Pumps and smiled at the Attendant behind the Cashier Window – he smiled back! 5 POINTS! YES!

WOW! 20 POINTS in an hour! HA HA HAAAA!

When I told the gas pump cashier attendant about the SMILE CAMPAIGN and offered him a LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN! bookmark with a SMILEY face on it – he said: ‘Welcome?????’ HA HA HA HA – I smiled and laughed. He smiled back. Another point!

So that’s how it all started! I went from a skeptic, to knowledgeable as far as book-learning to FEEEEEELING the POWER of a SHARED SMILE and seeing how it UPLIFTS
ENLIGHTENS
LIGHTENS THE LOAD of a weary traveler
EASES a day full of frustration and burdens
ERASES a bad day or mood
ERADICATES aloneness
having the POWER to LIFT a persons shoulders, INCREASE their height and – like the GRINCH – grow their heart 10 times bigger by being FILLED with warmth, love and light due to RECOGNITION and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT that you and I are worth being recognized!

View the Levity Project’s One World-One Smile video at: www.youtube.com/thelevityinstitute [see if you notice anyone familiar at the 38 second mark]

SPREAD THOSE SMILES BY THE MILES!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Join my SMILE CAMPAIGN – earn those points – and on a bad day – when someone smiles at you FIRST – ka ching – cash them in!
[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION under blog name: HELENOFLAFOLOT]

Did you ever hear the warning about using a dead bolt to lock your house, because a basic lock can be broken into using a credit card?
Well, from experience (eh hem), I can tell you it’s true!

Just having bought a modular home that still needed to be inspected; I was given a master key for the ‘basic’ door handle lock so I could move some small items into the home.

Being used to dead bolt locks, I accidentally turned the inside lock on the handle, shut the door behind me and locked my car and house keys in the new home! Problem is, it was 6:30am on on a Friday. I ‘did’ have an extra set of car keys with me, thank goodness!

The BIG PROBLEM WAS – I am a menopausal woman over 50 who takes a blood pressure pill with a water pill in it – enough said? If no, let me tell you, a bathroom trip is required every 5 minutes, when it is first taken!

In my defense, I was exhausted from moving. I had slept on the floor the night before, so I could be ready for the movers with my bed disassembled. I THOUGHT I was thinking clearing and had made every effort to make sure I had everything before I left the modular home. I wanted to go over to my old condo to do some final cleaning early in the morning. I was really PISSED OFF – I guess I should use a different word – HA HA – because I was now stuck.

It was 6:30am and I didn’t want to wake anyone.
It was the day after a heavy rain, so there was a steady DRIP DRIP coming down from the roof rain gutter onto my head as I tried to work on the door.
I had heard you could use a credit card to open a basic door know lock.

I didn’t use my credit card, but I had some club cards I wasn’t using that were expendable.
Everytime I tried to insert the plastic card, I would get HIT with a wet SPLAT on my head.
After 5 minutes of no luck, I was soaked on one side of the head! HA HA

I had MANAGED to get the door to BUDGE a bit, but I realized later, I was just too timid.
I had to RUSH to my car and drive to the nearest McDONALDS to use their bathroom. It was a TRUE EMERGENCY!
I then sat in one of the booths in the back to gather my thoughts.
I tried calling a younger sister to see if she had a spare key to my old condo, so I could meet her at work and pick it up – but no, she didn’t.
While I was waiting, one man was having a breakfast meeting with another man and giving him spiritual advice on job loss, his marital relationship, etc. I figured, what the heck, I just listened.

I got the thought to MAKE ANOTHER EFFORT at the door. He was being given the advice ‘Faith without works, is dead.’ At least that’s what I heard.

I went back to THE SCENE OF THE CRIME and met a couple neighbors who gave me contact numbers for other possible people with the master key. I couldn’t get ahold of anyone.

I went back to my new home door –
I got out my OLLIE – GOOD STUFF CHEAP CLUB CARD and tried again.

I guess I was NOW CONFIDENT and DETERMINED!

When I finally got it slipped into the door and felt the door budge – I THREW THE FULL WEIGHT OF MY OVERWEIGHT, MENOPAUSAL, WATER PILL – GOTTA GOOOOOOOO Body into the door and it opened!

*PFEW! I flew to the bathroom! (first things first!) Then I was able to go about my day.

So, I am here to testify:

YES, I broke into my own home, using a plastic bonus club card.

Here’s the lesson – NEVER MESS WITH A MENOPAUSAL WOMAN ON A BLOOD PRESSURE WITH WATER PILL COMBINATION!

Also – always lock your deadbolt and don’t rely on the door handle lock.

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Living Life! and Laughing Often!
Thank God I’m smart enough NOT to take this as a lesson to pursue a life of crime!
Amen.