LAFOLOT

Thrilled to have earned my ‘ten cents off a gallon of gasoline’ from my preferred grocery store, I headed out to the gas pumps due to the deal expiring the next day. I forgot it was ‘rush hour’ since I work from home.

I was SO THRILLED that I was in a NON-MENOPAUSAL mood; because when I got to the store’s gas pumps, they were PACKED with cars lined up! I was SO THRILLED when I found a line with just one car ahead of me. The guy was filling about 5 plastic portable fuel containers; BUT I DIDN’T CARE! I had a SAFE SPACE in line. [in a menopausal mood, I wouldn't have handled this that well! So I was SO grateful!]

I turned off my car engine and saw a woman pull into the wait/line to the right of me. I had put on my CLOWN NOSE to see how many smiles/reactions I could get. The woman’s face had a ‘Map of Her Life’ on it. I felt she had EARNED every one of those wrinkles and GOOD FOR HER! She had the jaw line of the character BEAKER from the MUPPETS! I thought, I’ll bet she’d be a real character to talk to and meet! I could see her hands flying, the annoyed look on her face – almost HEAR the possible curse words and words of disgust coming out of her mouth. [this is how 'I' would have been if I were in a menopausal mood - again, I noted my gratitude to myself!]

So I had a long wait, but had fun focusing and mentally encouraging her to look my way, to her left. It took a while but – YES! She turned and looked!

AH HA! HA HA!! Wonderful! She laughed! She did a double take! She laughed some more shaking her head in amazement at me! YES! I had succeeded in helping someone else deal with the backed up line at the gas pumps!

Once done, I headed to Olive Garden for a snack. I said to a woman as she held the door for me: ‘I heard if you wear a clown nose, they give you a discount!’ She laughed. I told the two hostesses, ‘Don’t you get a dollar off if you wear a clown nose?’ Just then, a man walked up and said: ‘WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR EYES!’ I laughed out loud and so did the hostesses. I said, ‘He must be a professional clown to have come up with THAT line!’

So, I was SO SO glad I was in the right frame of mind and fun, calm emotional state to be able to PLAY with others who may have been having trouble dealing with the long lines and rush hour.

Here’s to earning KINDNESS points that will hopefully come back to me – next time I’m in a grumpy mood during a stressfull situation! DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY, even when you’re sitting at the fuel pumps!

Live Life! Laugh Often!
and carry a clown nose wherever you go!
Never know when you’ll need one to help out a fellow traveler in life!
Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
www.lafolot.com
[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION by: Helenoflafolot]

I’ve already written a few blogs on my DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY campaign. Well, today’s SYNCHRONICI-TEE boggled my mind; made me more alert while driving and brought a laugh out of my mouth and smile to my face!

I had just finished making a SPECIALLY designed t-shirt for my niece who is on her Cross Country Team. I found out this past year, that it is abbreviated XC.

So, when she excitedly posted a message on Facebook about XC I was creatively inspired! I made a t-shirt for her that notes:

XCellent
XCiting
XCeptional

I placed the transfer on a grey/athletic t-shirt and had it with me in the car so I could get some lunch first, and then take it to the local post office.

Well, as we all know, our minds can wonder while driving; hence my Drive Yourself Happy campaign, to AWAKEN drivers. I get to a major intersection, and I start to ‘drift’. I suddenly look at the driver’s license plate on the car in front of me as the light turns green! It starts out with the first three letters:

EXC

How SYNCHRONISTIC and XCeptional, XCiting and XCellent was THAT!

Gotta LOVE the Snchronici-TEE!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Live Life! Laugh Often! and Drive Yourself Happy, Awake and Alert!
www.lafolot.com

[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION by: Helenoflafolot]

I have to laugh at myself! Laugh myself HEALTHY, that is! *wink

Whenever I dislike a chore, I find something silly or fun to make it more bearable. For example, when I when I came in from ‘weed whacking’ the yard, just now; I could ‘smell’ that my cat had used the litter box. *pfew!

So, I went over to ‘scoop’ it out. My cat was following behind; they always like to investigate what I’m going to do with their litter box! ha ha

As I approached to do this ‘not so pleasant’ but ‘necessary’ chore – a CHEER popped into my head!

‘LET’S GO CLEAN THE BOX, LET’S GO!’ *clap clap clap
‘LET’S GO CLEAN THE BOX, LET’S GO!’ *clap clap clap
[it comes from a sports cheer: 'Let's go BIL-LEE Let's Go!' you insert whichever name fits at the moment - for the person about to SCORE!]

There I was, bending over, ready to scoop up cat poop and I’m LAUGHING at this CHEER that pops into my head!

When I was weed whacking a month ago, I shared how; after sweating and dealing with numb, aching arms – I started to LAUGH to relieve the stress by thinking up a Weed Whacking Laugh! Weed Whacka-ha ha ha ha haaaa

I’ve shared in the past, when I have to go grocery shopping [another chore I dislike] I make up a WORD out of the first letter of each item I need – so I remember my shopping list!

Write it down, you say! Oh, that’s so ‘been there, done that!’ ha ha ha
I like the non-sensical words I come up with.
This puts a smile on my face –

then I go to the store and start playing my SMILE CAMPAIGN GAME!

Got some CHORES to do? CHEER yourself through!
Any CHEER will DO! Woo! Hoo!

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN! and CHEER-O-LOT Too! Yes! Yeah!
www.lafolot.com
[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION by: Helenoflafolot]

I was inspired to write this after seeing the non-stop flow of: COMPLIMENTS and KINDNESS presented to me, yesterday.

I see no recession when it comes to the ability to give a Kindness or Compliment! They are PRICELESS and worth more than all the gold in the world!

While at a business networking mixer, yesterday morning, a gentleman mentioned he had my Helen of LAFOLOT Night at the Piano Bar CD in his car and listens to it frequently! He had won it as a door prize at a previous meeting. I told him: YOU’VE MADE MY DAY!

During the meeting, after we gave our 30 second introduction commercials – I led everyone in a ‘cheer’ to wake them up. This same gentleman gave me a PLUG, suggesting I start off all their meetings with that warm-up! He called me Ms. LAFOLOT! …once again MY DAY WAS MADE!

When I got home to meet some Warranty Repair men for my new Modular Home – they were so EXCELLENT at their jobs, they were very great at explaining everything and answering my questions – I let them know they were WONDERFUL and I COULD TELL they knew and enjoyed their work! When I expressed concern over an issue for which they were not responsible, they were more than willing to check it out for me. Turned out I HAD NO WORRIES – there was no issue. I told the man his KINDNESS was PRICELESS and more VALUABLE to me than he could imagine! I told him: YOU’VE MADE MY DAY!

I later received an e-mail from a new business contact who is honoring my talents by having me speak on Laughter Wellness at her Business Women’s organization. Icing on the cake is that she asked me to SING – in order to promote that part of my business – another KINDNESS!

As if that weren’t enough – she then asked if I’d SING at a photography studio business open house! CAN I TAKE ALL THESE KINDNESSES and COMPLIMENTS!

Then, I received an e-mail from a NEW FAN of my website! He noted he is 26 years old and found my website to be so positive and upbeat, that he has shared it with many of his friends! THE GIFT OF A KINDNESS AND COMPLIMENT! Wow! I e-mailed him and told him: YOU’VE MADE MY DAY!

I have had many ‘young’ souls – highschool and college become fans of my SMILE CAMPAIGN and my book ‘Life is a Song in the Key of Love’ about appreciating life in all its forms of expression. I am truly blessed!

I see NO RECESSION – there is such an ABUNDANCE of COMPLIMENTS and KINDNESS being shared!

At one of my ‘Laughter? Let’s Get Serious!’ talks to a low income community action council two years ago; I mentioned that YOU DON’T NEED MONEY TO GIVE A GIFT! I talked about a book I read: ‘Good Hearted Living’ by Steve Wilson It talks about giving the gifts of: Compliments, Kindness, Gratitude, Flexibility and Forgiveness. None of these cost money and they can be given in bushel baskets!

I see no recession. I am wealthy beyond my dreams with all these gifts.

Check your HEART POCKETS, I’m sure you’ll find some there!

THANK YOU for reading my blog and believing in my passion.

Highlighted Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Living Life in A-MAZE-MENT!
Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com
[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION by: Helenoflafolot]

I officially dubbed this day: Silly Dress Saturday!
I put on my striped top and flower print pants; and set out to ‘Light the World Up with a Smile’ – as Mary Tyler Moore would have done in her show’s theme song!

I intended to go about my business in public practicing my SMILE CAMPAIGN! I planted my closed-mouth smile on my face as I was having the tasty soup n salad at Olive Garden restaurant. I got one point by having a smile REFLECTED back to me from a server. I got another point when I had another smile REFLECTED back at me from a hostess. So I had 2 points saved up! Woo hoo!

Then, I headed over to the grocery store for a few items. When I got out of my car in the parking lot, a woman was walking towards my direction with her shopping cart.

I looked in her direction and gave my closed-mouth smile according to my SMILE CAMPAIGN.

SCORE! Not only did she smile back! She instantly offered a warm: HELLO!

I just COULDN’T let her keep going without telling her! I took two steps back and said; ‘I just HAVE to share this with you!’ I just earned 2 points because of you not only REFLECTING your smile back at me – but because you followed it up with a HELLO!’

She welcomed me sharing this information. She saw the I LOVE TO LAFOLOT button I was wearing and asked me about it. I told her I was a Laughter Wellness Presenter and about my SMILE CAMPAIGN activity.

She said, ‘Oh! I always say Hello! to people and they look at me like I’m crazy!’ ahahaha I said: ‘I purposely wore my striped top and print pants to put smiles on people’s faces today. She said: ‘I DIDN’T EVEN NOTICE, I just saw your smile!’

As we were parting, she said: ‘YOU gave ME 2 points!’

We both smiled as we went in our opposite directions – ENLIGHTENED, SPIRITS LIFTED all because of a SMILE and a REFLECTION –

Oh! and 2 POINTS EACH – worth more than a million in Gold for the health benefits!

In invite you to test the waters yourself. Share a close-mouthed smile when you are out and about; and see how many smiles you get REFLECTED back at you.

LIVE LIFE! LAUGH OFTEN!
SPREAD THOSE SMILES BY THE MILES!
Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
www.lafolot.com
[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION by: Helenoflafolot]

WARNING: DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN READ THIS! LOL!

Have you ever watched television shows or movies where seniors just LET GO and let their INNER CHILD out! Well, not having kids, I have given myself permission to START EARLY!

I was sitting at Olive Garden Restaurant for lunch having just received my unsweetened iced tea and paper wrapped straw. I was seated next to a window and looking out into the open area seating. There was a table with three women. I’m ‘assuming’ a mother and her two highschool or early college age daughters.

The one girl put her partially unwrapped straw up to her mouth, with a mischievious grin on her face, as if to be ready to BLOW the paper off the straw, into the air – across to her sister. The mother was sitting inbetween the two.
The young woman didn’t follow through. It was like, I KNOW we did this as kids even though we weren’t allowed to, but I won’t really do it.

SO! I thought! THIS is a HA HA HELEN of LAFOLOT ‘permission to let your inner child out’ EMERGENCY!

Dun dun dun DAAAAAAAAAA! I had partially removed the paper from my straw.
I got up.
Walked over to their table with the straw up to my mouth.
BLEW.
and WHooooooooSH! the paper SWOOPED up into the air inbetween the women/girls as they looked at me.

I LAUGHED, SMILED and went back to my table – letting them there giggling, laughing and smiling.

WHO WAS THAT UN-MASKED WOMAN!

I got 3 of my SMILEY Face, Positive Statement, Bright Yellow LAFOLOT bookmarks out and walked them over to their table. I announced:

‘I figured if ‘I’ did it, YOU (the mischievious teen) wouldn’t get in trouble with mom!’ The mother looked up with a big smile and laughed.

HA HA Helen’s work is never done – never FEAR – HA HA HELEN’S HERE!

Live Life! Laugh Often!
www.lafolot.com
[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION by: Helenoflafolot]

Still DRIVING MYSELF HAPPY! with my new campaign! [Drive Youself Happy!]

I see so many UNFOCUSED people on the road, on cell phones, texting, exhausted and sitting at traffic lights with a ‘far off’ look –

I have an oldest sister who was hit by an ‘unfocused’ drunk driver when she was 20 and she is now 62 – having ‘survived’ and having to ‘learn to LIVE with front left lobe brain damage.

Put your cell phone, etc. on mute and toss it in the back seat of your car where you can’t get to it while driving.

Help others to stay focused on the vehicle in front of them by checking out the license plate in front of them in traffic; as well as at stop lights.

For example:

While pulling into a shopping plaza parking lot – the license plate on the car in front of me was ….

*drum roll (just put the rim shot in after you read this)

PMS-RN

OK – so does this mean to STAY CLEAR because this nurse is prone to emotional explosions? – - or that this nurse will help those in the middle of an emergency emotional explosion –

OH! Maybe this nurse makes house calls or roadside emergencies for emotional explosions!? (my mom had two cute, attentive male nurses at an Emergency Room visit last Tuesday – so I wouldn’t have minded a cute, male nurse helping me out when I –

would make a Mount Saint Helen’s Explosion fool of myself with my PMS moments!

Thank God this nurse advertises! You never know when you’ll need a PMS RN!

Nurses – they GIVE, AND THEY GIVE AND THEY GIVE!

(After that one, the next plate I saw was: HHA (HAHA :O) ) and after that I saw: DDY (Daddy?) – *SMILE – my Dad is the one that got me STARTED on this license plate word game when I was younger- so that was a nice memory).

DRIVING MYSELF HAPPY! and staying focused on the car in front of me.

Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of Lafolot
www.lafolot.com
[Check out some license plates to help keep your eyes focused on the car in front of you. ;o) Drive safely and happily! Join my DRIVE YOURSELF HAPPY! campaign!] … no cost and no paperwork!

[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION by: Helenoflafolot]

Part II – how it all started and showed me the POWER of a SMILE!

One story I didn’t include in my blog, yesterday. I had ‘stood up’ to a powerful
management/uniformed/gun toting figure at a meeting where I used to work
(policing agency) I ‘spoke up’ in a sexual harrassment training session when he
made fun of some point. He then ordered me to leave.

Well – things got hairy, even though I had many supporters, but too many were
afraid to speak up, understandably!

A few weeks later, I encountered him exiting an elevator. He saw me, dropped
his head and was ready to walk on -

BUT – a funny thing happened. I decided to just give him one of my closed mouth
smiles – he saw it – his entire body, shoulders and face lifted, brightened,
lightened up!

I had decided we had agreed to disagree and there was no point in allowing it to
drag us both down. I could see the RELIEF on his face – this high
level/uniformed/powerful man who had ‘shrunk himself down and dropped his
head’… THE POWER OF THAT SMILE – what POWER it had to dissipate anger.

That’s why my SMILE CAMPAIGN is so personal and means so much to me.

thank you for allowing me to share … ;o)

Highlighted – Ha Ha Helen Szollosy of LAFOLOT
Spread those SMILES by the MILES and watch how the power of a soft smile can dissipate anger.
www.lafolot.com/smile-campaign/
[this post can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION blog: Helenoflafolot]

Years ago, I had an AH HA, I get it – moment. I finally realized the VALUE and WEIGHT of the phrase: ‘It’s the THOUGHT that counts.’

As a child, there can be disappointments during Holidays with rituals of Gift Giving. Those Holidays may have started out with deeping meanings, but became more commercialized – even birthday and anniversary celebration gift giving.

As we get older, some of our friends move away, some of our family start to pass on – more and more we see the value of ‘BEING THOUGHT OF.’

That’s how I came to TRULY UNDERSTAND that phrase – ‘It’s the THOUGHT that counts’.

Think about it. To TRULY be HELD/EMBRACED in someone else’s thought in a warm way. What a GIFT! To know that with all the business and business dealing going on in other people’s days – for that person to have HELD ‘YOU!’ – YES YOU! in their thought for that moment – PRICELESS!

Wheather they bought you a stick of gum, a tacky pair of shoes you’ll never wear, some clothing item that doesn’t fit and ‘isn’t really you’… YOU were THOUGHT of!

*sigh – what a beautiful phrase – IT’S THE THOUGHT, that COUNTS.

May you be and feel thought of in a warm, embraced way – and if you feel you have no one doing this for you – considered yourself thought of by ME as you read this.

Thinking and feeling warm embracing thoughts for everyone in the world -
Highlighted Helen of LAFOLOT
Peace.
[this blog can also be seen at VIBRANT NATION by: HELENOFLAFOLOT]

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]