LAFOLOT

As I walked through the automatic opening doors at my parttime job; I made a humorist comment to a customer leaving the building. It’s been raining here, so much, that I like to say to people when it’s downpouring: ‘THINK IT’S GONNA RAIN?’ *LOL!

I think the customer responded, without missing a beat: ‘DON’T KNOW! BUT THEY’RE CALLING FOR IT!’ *LOL! …the humor comes from the conversational exchange in the middle of the downpour!

So, I let out a BIG LAUGH, as is natural for me.

As I entered the store, both the Shift Supervisor and Cashier, who were stocking shelves, popped out from their aisles, almost exclaiming in unison: ‘YEP! I KNEW IT, IT’S HELEN’S LAUGH!’

It’s the HA HA Helen SIGNATURE LAUGH, a freely expressed LAUGH OUT LOUD!

Just like with a written signature, a physical style, stance, tone of voice; we all have a signature laugh style!

It’s nice to be noticed for my signature laugh!

In theatre and television sitcoms, ‘signature laughs’ made some characters famous!
Think about the character LAVERNE from ‘Laverne and Shirley’ – her slow, nasal laugh.
Think about Arnold from ‘Welcome Back Kotter’.
Think about ERKEL’s also famous, nasal laugh!

Just like from the silver screen era movie about GYPSY ROSE LEE. There’s a song in the movie: YA’ GOTTA HAVE A GIMMICK!

Having a signature laugh is a good thing. It AUTOMATICALLY announces you before you enter a room.

One of the best comments I ever got at a Laughter Club was from a woman who had a very dry wit. She said: ‘My laugh is basically ‘HA!’ I said: ‘That’s a great laugh! It reminds me of a Shakespearean actor, stepping haughtily out on the stage with a broad stride, raising one arm into the air and announcing: ‘I LAUGH! …. HA!’ She responded: I LOVE IT!

This has been HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT.COM, OUTLOOK SHIFT ENGINEER!
Living Life! Laughing Often! … Living Life in AH! MAZEMENT!
and LAUGHING OUT LOUD! Why? Because it’s a healthy stress reliever.

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!

I like to ‘sparkle’ so I wear glitter on my face every day, as well as 3 pierced earrings in each ear, every day. Lately, I’ve been wearing my Christmas Tree earrings, faux crystal box cut dangly earrings and gold dangly accents. I consider it a COLLAGE for my EARS! ;o)

When I went to the chiropractor the other day, I took my earrings off in the car and set them in a container in the shift box area of my car between the seats; to keep them safe.

Well! Disliking having to wear so much bulky clothing in the winter, I had an afterthought and took my coat off, scarf, and fur head/ear protectors and tossed them on the passenger seat. I get tired of all the bulk, and just parked near the doctor’s office door.

When I got back to the car after my appointment, I noticed only 3 of the earrings were there!

I have LEARNED NOT to get overly upset about ‘the small stuff’. I have enough ‘bigger stuff’ to deal with, than to get upset over earrings (a brain damaged sister in a nursing home – due to being hit by a drunk driver at age 19, now 63 – for whom I’m her representative … as well as other challenges).

So I chalked it up to an ‘OH WELL …’ maybe I’ll find them on the floor of the car, later.

The next morning, I put on a freshly washed sweater, slacks and shoes to go out and START MY EARRING SEARCH – between the seats, etc. It’s pretty cold and windy here, so I had to REALLY want to look.

I talk about SEEING WITH NEW EYES, REFLECTING ON THE GOOD, SHIFTING ONE’S PERCEPTION, RE-LOOKING at Situations, etc. – from a positive persective.

Well! Because I can’t stand winter, all the bulky clothes, and getting ALL TANGLED UP every time I take ‘all my stuff on or off’ when coming or going (I wear my eyeglasses on a chain around my neck)… I had noticed – earlier in the week – I had lost the little plastic piece that helps the glasses rest higher on the nose. Only one side! So my glasses had been lop sided!

LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN EVERYTHING -

in the process of searching for the earrings – which I found!

I FOUND THE LITTLE PLASTIC PIECE down between the seats! WHAT WERE THE ODDS! [if I hadn't lost the earrings, I wouldn't have found the eyeglass part!]

It could have been ANYWHERE – a restaurant, doctor’s office, on the ground somewhere…

I had to SMILE! My gift for NOT getting upset about the earring possible loss, approaching it with an even temper and positive attitude, GOT ME A PRIZE!

And – to top it all off; when I got back into the house – I FOUND THAT CLING FREE DRYER SHEET THAT HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE SWEATER THAT I HAD JUST PUT ON BEFORE GOING OUT!

Laugh out Loud! *BIG SMILE! (I have many fun stories about lost and found dryer items… but I’ll save that for later!)

So, when you lose something – don’t LOSE IT (your cool, that is) –
take it easy and you never know what your PRIZE may be as a result!

Living in GRATITUDE!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Live Life in A-Maze-Ment!
www.lafolot.com

Teaser: ‘…and as I was exiting the grocery store, a tall, model-like woman was browsing the flowers and balloons display in her 4 1/2 heels! WHAT A WORKOUT!’

I used to really dislike grocery shopping. Now, I PURPOSELY do ‘frequent’, ‘inefficient’ shopping so I HAVE to go back more frequently! Nuts? Oh, no! There’s a ‘madness to my method!’ HA HA!

Being a newly independent business owner, it give me more visibility! Since I work from home, it gets me out of the house for FUN socialization! Why? because I talk to people at the grocery store, joke and spread compliments and smiles!

Today, I was nearing the end of an aisle when a young woman stops her cart – OBLIVIOUS – blocking my exit. She didn’t notice me and proceeded to slowly walk around her mini-cart and reach on the bottom shelf for the plastic iced tea container. FUNNY PART WAS – the mini-cart was loaded with 6-packs of soda all around the top and bottom edges of the cart.

I ‘just stood there’ watching. I found it funny. She was moving in slow motion, oblivious. She finally noticed me, and apologized. I laughed, smiled and said “Oh! don’t worry – I do laughter wellness for a living and I was getting a kick out of watching the whole thing!” The HILARIOUS part was, she was double-checking that the iced-tea was INDEED sugar free! HAHAHAHA – she had tons of sugary soda in the cart! (I know – it could have been for several different people, it was just funny.) We talked about food carton labeling a few seconds and went on our merry way.

When I got over to the dairy aisle, I noticed a woman with beautiful, long, healthy, black, shiny hair! I have a cosmetology license, so I KNOW healthy hair when I see it! I said: ‘Excuse me, I don’t normally do this, but I have to tell you you have the most beautiful, shiny, black hair I’ve ever seen! What do you do to it?’ She was an woman possibly in her lat 30s or 40s. She said: ‘Oh! I’m getting it ALL CUT OFF for LOCKS OF LOVE!’ [I was impressed!] She said: ‘I never use hot blow dryers on it.’ It was amazing!

Besides making ‘frequent’ trips to the grocery store (on a daily basis), I also walk from one end of the store to the other – not in a down and up the aisle pattern. Why? It GETS ME MORE EXERCISE and I feel SILLY doing it! It’s fun! I make my Grocery List in my head by getting the first letter of each item needed and making a word out of it! For example, yesterday it was WAT or TWA (Trans World Airlines!) HA HA Water, Apples, Tea bags! I just remember the word or phrase and off to shop I go!

IT’S FUN, SILLY and puts a smile on my face as I remember my items without writing them down! It’s a GREAT EXERCISE for THE BRAIN, too!

As I checked out, I wished the Indian/American cashier attendant Hello! in HINDI (I know a couple Phillipine/American women there, also – so I get to with them Hello, Goodbye, Thank you in their languages, too!)

As I walked towards the exit, I see a TALL, Model-like young woman in Shoe Heels that were almost as tall as me! They must have been 4 1/2″ heels! Talk about A HEALTHY WORKOUT while BALANCING on those things! I left the store in my SENSIBLE SNEAKERS with a SMILE on my face!

Here’s to healthy, happy, inefficient, social grocery store shopping! HA HA HELEN of LAFOLOT style!

Spread those SMILES by the MILES!

and DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY! to the grocery store!
www.lafolot.com
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT

IT’S HA HA Helen of LAFOLOT’s TIME 2 LAUGH system!
… COMBINED with a Motivational-Inspiration Moment!

[ I like noticing the numbers on digital clock or calculator displays as numbers - especially upside-down and backwards or right-side up. They can spell words and give you a healthy break during your day - as healthy 'Triggers' or 'Purposeful Pause Moments' as I like to call them!]

This morning, I noticed it was: 7:27 AM ….hmmm L2L = Laugh 2 Laugh! I LAUGH for the sake of LAUGHING for HEALTH – in my profession!

Then I saw it was: 7:34 = hel – ut oh! I don’t like when I’m feeling like LIFE is Giving me a Hard Time!

So, what do I do?

Next it was: 7:35 = SEL [Sell THAT perception of how LIFE is going 'Buy-in' to a NEW way to look at it!]

7:36 - GEL – Now you can ‘LET IT GO’ and move on with a NEW OUTLOOK, just GELL and RELAX!

This has been a Highlighted Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT – mini motivational moment!

Have a Great Day! Live Life in A-MAZE-ment and Take Time 2 Laugh!
www.lafolot.com

I have a DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY campaign on my website, dealing with:

Staying present/focused on the road
Spreading Smiles by the Miles, and
Using my TIME 2 LAUGH system of healthy mood shift triggers!

Having a rough prior evening, but sorting it all out this morning – I headed out to lunch at my favorite Thai Restaurant [ Thai Palace]. I sat in their MIDDLE room because it’s warmer, and the 2 outer rooms have seats along the windows. It’s a cold, rainy, gray weather day.

Being the only one sitting in the middle dining room – I have fun ‘messing’ with the other customers that walk through to go to the restroom or to take a shortcut to the buffet.

When one woman from an outer table got up to walk through, I announced: ‘I’LL ONLY CHARGE ‘YA $5.00 TO GO THROUGH!’

She laughed and said: ‘WOW! WHAT A GREAT RATE! DO YOU WORK FOR THE TURNPIKE COMMISSION? CAN I PURCHASE AN ‘EASY PASS’?

About 10 minutes later, she had to come through again, she made a motion into the air as if she was SWIPING HER EASY PASS CARD! Ha Ha Ha!

I smiled and laughed! She said: ‘I’m using my EASY PASS!’

I was just about done eating, so when she got back to her table with her 3 other friends; I stopped by – put 3 Yellow, Smiley Face LAFOLOT Positive Statement bookmarks in front of her and said:

‘I’M GONNA HAVE TO GIVE YOU SOME TICKETS FOR AN ILLEGAL WALK-THRU!’

She Laughed Out Loud and her one friend said – ‘What?!’
I heard her explaining as I walked out to pay for my meal.

On the way home, I got behind a car that had the license plate: P-OUI

DRIVING MYSELF HAPPY! It translates to: Pee Wee (for anyone that doesn’t know that OUI is YES in French).

It made me laugh so I had a chance to WEE WEE WEE *tee hee hee ALL THE WAY HOME!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Living in the moment!
Living Life! and Laughing Often!
TURN THE BEAT AROUND!
www.lafolot.com

“…as I past the hostesses, leaving the restaurant, I spoke into my wrist saying: ‘Ha Ha Helen has left the building!”

I work from home and have advertising on the side of my car, so part of my networking/socialization is to go out to lunch to mix and mingle, and allow drivers to see my advertising – as well as my HA-HAHA license plate! One of my favorite spots is Olive Garden restaurant for the soup/salad deal.

They recently upgraded to a ‘headset-wearing/computerized’ seating system. I’m told they had to work out some kinks when they discovered they were ‘on the same channel’ as the Red Robin restaurant across the road. ‘TABLE 61 IS CLEARED AND READY!’ …’NO! IT ISN’T, I JUST SAT A PARTY THERE!’ This was one of the typical mishaps they had to deal with. LOL!

Having a theatre performance, singing performer, public speaker nature – I have NO problem being sat OUT IN THE MIDDLE of the MAIN Dining Room on my own. I LOVE to make eye contact and exchange occasional silly quips with the other guests, servers and managers.

At one point, I had to Laugh Out Loud! – watching one host walk by – TALKING LOW into his WALKIE-TALKIE ear/necklace type device. I couldn’t help myself! It was like being surrounded by a bunch of CIA or FBI agents! I felt as famous and protected as THE PRESIDENT!

At one point, two older couples were sat at a round table across from me. The one husband put his eyeglasses at his FOREHEAD level, in order to read the menu. They must have been far-sighted lenses only. I couldn’t resist. When I was done eating, I excused myself, let them know I was a ‘trained/certified laughter therapist’ and said: “I just have to share this. When you put your eyeglasses on your forehead, were you going for INNER-VISION WITH YOUR THIRD EYE?’ They laughed. (thank goodness!)

Another time, when I was sitting at the bar area and laughing out loud and joking with folks, the one manager walked behind me and spoke into his wrist like a Security person: ‘SHE’S AT THE BAR – SECOND BARSTOOL IN…’ I laughed out loud.

So, after getting to be the CENTER OF ATTENTION and having a few good laughs and a healthy meal – as I was exiting the restaurant – passing the hostesses at the HOSTESS-CONTROL-COMMAND CENTER –

I spoke into my wrist, saying in low-talk: ‘HA HA HELEN HAS LEFT THE BUILDING’. They laughed.

Nothing like having a good laugh with lunch! It’s calorie free, helps with digestion and is the SWEETEST dessert!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Living in the moment …
Live Life! Laugh Often!

http://www.lafolot.com

WOW! WOW! WOW! – A VERY SUCCESSFULL HEALTHY-HAPPY HOUR!

What a WONDERFUL evening filled with magical, fun, healthy results at my LAFOLOT HEALTHY HAPPY HOUR – FREE SMILES & LAUGHS DRIVE-THRU!

After 2 days of chilly, overcast, windy-rainy weather, THE SUN CAME OUT!
The SKY CLEARED!

As I set up my signs, I noticed bright, yellow dandelions by each sign! I had to take a photo!

As I sat waiting for the traffic to build, I saw a YELLOW butterfly visit the YELLOW Dandelions. It brought a SMILE to my face, as it flittered from one flower to the next.

Two Bees visited, taking the same path as the earlier butterfly.

Then, there was a commotion with 3 crows and a smaller bird. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I looked up and saw, A HAWK! It was sitting directly above my chair on the lamp post and power line pole! WOW! How magnificent!

I got out my cell phone camera and took two photos.

I was IN A-MAZE-MENT of all the wonderful, beautiful expression of LIFE going on all around me! The Sun, the clouds, the blue sky, the dandelions, butterfy, bees, crows, hawk and then came: THE SMILES, LAUGHS, BEEPS

and best of all? Three of the DAIRY QUEEN Ice-Cream and Grille employees crossed the busy road to TAKE A PHOTO with the NEAT LADY they saw across the road – sitting and collecting Smiles and Laughs with her SMILE Spatula and occassional clown nose!

Priceless, Blessed, Beautiful, Magical moments.

Ah! The wonder of it all. In gratitude -

Highlighted, Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Live Life! Laugh Often!
Live Life in A-MAZE-MENT!
www.lafolot.com

mmm… tasting … tasting … needs a pinch more Ha Ha, Ho Ho and Hee hee!

While stopping in to dine at Olive Garden this evening -
I had a fun talk with the 3 Hostesses who greeted me with SMILES at the door.
I told them I like the Olive Garden White Shirt and Black Pants uniform –
but
the TIE had to go! It’s soooo long and draws the eye downward -

I said if they had to wear ties, they needed to be fresh fruit or vegetable print – and just a bit shorter – to be bright, cheery and not elongate the upper torso.

They then said they would like SMILE print on their ties and that they should be designed by HA HA HELEN! I laughed and said I would make a recommendation to Olive Garden Corporate Office and create a commercial with the theme:

Stop in at OLIVE GARDEN – STAY AND SMILE AWHILE ;o)
The one hostess said: YES! and gave me a HIGH FIVE!

Once seated, there was a FUN, JAZZY version of the 1920s-30s era song: BLUE SKIES playing on the P.A. system. It made me wanna ‘DANCE IN MY SEAT!’
I joked with one of the servers about it and she was walking in a peppy step to it, agreeing with me.

Then, I see a ‘Manager in Training’ outside the window –
he is ‘eyeballing’ the bushes, and ‘with precision-like approach’ snip, snipping the ‘bad or unnecessary’ stuff off the bushes! ha ha ha

It was AMAZING to watch! First I was just amazed and interested.
Then, it got to be SO DARN CUTE! I was FASCINATED watching him –
like an artist at a Picasso painting –
Step back – eyeball – use his hand or clipping tool to measure, judge and
step forward to snip out the uneven twig, etc.

I had the servers stop and watch him, I was giggling out loud!
It was like someone had set off a SILLY BOMB in the place!

I got to SAVOR the wonderfull Parmesan Portobello Mushroom Sauce on the Penne Pasta – as well as: SAVOR THE SILLINESS!

So I guess my food was spiced with a bit of: HA HAs, HO HOs and Hee HEEs!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Smiling as I type this – remembering it all
LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
and don’t forget to add some SILLY spice to your day!

Gotta LAUGH! At myself! On a regular basis!
I tell people and write all the time: ‘I teach what I need to learn and share the CREATIVE ways I work through my LAUGHABLE Life Lessons!

Many people that meet me say they can see how ‘Passionate’ I am about what I do. What do I do? My intention is to Motivate and Inspire others through speaking, singing, writing and laughter wellness!

So, when I left my State Government job after 28 1/2 years – on a LEAP OF FAITH – with the strong, passionate intention to:

1) Teach all that I had learned by making use of all the wonderful ‘mental/emotional health support offered by my wonderful medical plan

2) Teach laughter wellness, Good-Hearted Living (Steve Wilson), and how to use Creative HEALTHY Triggers and ways to ‘get through a work day’ to my fellow State Employees – as a Commonwealth Vendor

I, once again, was given the opportunity to FORGIVE myself and others due to the hurt I felt when a negative, non-accurate (due to leaving out information about laughter wellness) article was written about my PASSION, of all things!

In my excitement to help others with a creative, medically endorsed/proven health & wellness tool known as Laughter Wellness, Laughter Therapy or Laughter Yoga – I never dreamed it wouldn’t be embraced by others – especially an investigative reporter trained to DIG for the FACTS.

But, alas, that’s what happened. So the HEALING from the HURT began. I started with instant FORGIVENESS. HA HA! ‘I’ had the last laugh! My hurt turned to anger and frustration as I was marked as a non-favorable Commonwealth Vendor – marked as ‘one to not hire’ for FEAR of our local paper pouncing on ‘the waste of tax dollars on a comedienne.’

Well – that was the Summer of 2009, it is now October 2010 and I am BEING BLESSED with the OPPORTUNITY to MOVE PAST THE HURT, THE ANGER and allowing a “Health Section” reporter from the same paper to ‘come into my home’ to interview me about Laughter Wellness.

Biting nails, holding in anxiety, wanting so badly for the FACTS to be printed –
and ‘alas’ – I know I have VERY LITTLE control over what the reporter will write.

But – what is MOST IMPORTANT to me:

1) FORGIVE MYSELF for my ‘human’ way of dealing with it all
2) FORGIVE the newspaper, editor and investigative reporter that I ALLOWED to take me through feelings of hurt, anger, and frustration.

This is HA HA ‘Living HUMANLY’ Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Living Life! and Laughing Often!
Choosing – for this moment – FORGIVENESS