Knife Crime is Life Time

I did not know the young man who brutally got stabbed in St. Albans nor did I know the circumstances of this sad, sad event.

What a waste!

However, I know some of the young people who were in his friendship circle - young people who I hold in high regard and respect, young people who are close friends with my daughter who knew of the young man from her time in secondary school.

My deepfelt sympathy goes out to those near and dear to the 19-year young man.

Circumstances.

There should never be any circumstances where it is necessary to carry a weapon on a night out for fun and light hearted squirmish. Sadly, the nightlife culture dictates a different story, a different mentality.

It has got to stop!

We go on and on and on about how horrible war and suffering is and yet, we fail to avoid the fighting and killing at our doorstep.

It could have been avoided.

No matter how much someone gets to you there is never an excuse for plunging a knife into the depth of someone's flesh - watching the pain, the hurt, the terrible, terrible suffering and death too soon.

There is no excuse.

The event triggered memories from five years ago when my close friend was pointlessly stabbed and nearly died on a night walking home from St. Albans train station. This was a random attack - not triggered by heated discussions or fights but simply someone who held a grudge that got rammed into action that evening believing someone else was at the receiving end of the knife.

It does not stop when the knife drops to the ground.

It does not only involve two people, the killer and the victim.

Knife crime is for life.

For the perpetrator as much as the families, friends, and everyone who is touched by the event.

It never goes away.

So how do we move on from here? Move on from those sad moments, moments of regret, moments that cannot change back to how things were before someone died?

Back to the Future is not real.

However, we are all superheros who can make profound differences through our choices! Wear your invisible cape at all times and make a stand for the good stuff in LIFE!

And I worry - I am a mum, that is what I do. My daughter and her bessies go out on the evenings and I pray that I will never get a call like the one the young man's parents received.

If ever there is a dark moment where it seems pointless and without reason find someone to talk to - someone who has no vested interest in the story that is building up but instead can find ways out before it all crashes down into something too overwhelming.

Speak to someone who can make you laugh, someone who can help tap into joy, someone who can get the tears rolling and get back to the laughter and to what is important.

No matter how dark it may all look, it only takes a tiny spark to initiate something bigger than the ego.

And I do know that we are not all born into the same 'circumstances' but one person regardless of background can change the flow of events - only one person gives the first punch.

Remember what it is all about!
Remember community and friendship.
Remember joy and love.

Peace.

Awesome thoughts, mate.

I don't want to sound full of myself but I was reading through some of the pages I have written in the past and to be honest, there were some quite cool things put in words and sentences amongst the rest of my sometimes unlikely blurb.

Many of my shared thoughts are not unique. However, my words have been spun around my own thinking and shaped into those lines which make them individual.

I am a strong advocate for shaping our own thoughts but I also listen and ponder, I become an info magnet and contemplate what's shared.

And then I decide.
We decide what's worth our attention.

I love when other people's words are shared in individual phrases and streamed with added intellect or varied vibration instead of plainly sharing what has already been said in the exact same letters and structured in the exact same way.

Having said that, there are so, so many fabulous quotes by famous people that are inspiring me daily and no douth inspiring you, precious reader, so they are worth sharing in their original flavour, too.

As long as we think when we read what's so then we are not too far off the track.

And don't just swallow it all - raw and unsweetened (perhaps another Danish transmorgryph, not sure).

So to finish this whole self-indulgent nonsense off I'd like to quote one of my early life idols and bring you to where we need to be in order to grow and learn - and don't forget to add your 12 hugs per day...

In the undying words of Bruce Springsteen, 'Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man, and I believe in the Promised Land' (which may have been taken completely out of context but never mind for now)...

The Promised Land, Paradise, Nirvana or any other name we use to describe something magical and perfect, which we continuously strive for and yearn for outside the self, while we forget to stop and listen to our heartbeat and listen to the peace within, relaxing into the safe haven and becoming one with the void where all these wonderful aspirations and places become one with here and now and you!

Be at peace with yourself and peace will come to us all - no nonsense and no religion either.

Just think what's worth your fretting and what's not!
I think that's it for now.

Books.

As the train was rolling steadily along its tracks I experienced the full range of emotions from laughing loudly to sobbing. My fellow travellers gazed regularly in my direction and I wondered if they thought I was not normal.

But what good is a book if the story does not engage you and entrall, lure you into its depth and allows you to feel. Feel as if you are the storyteller yourself.

These is My Words by Nancy Turner.

I lived the life of Sarah Prine as she told her story in her diary through the years from being a settler during unsettling times of cowboys and Indians to being an Officer's wife and running her own ranch in the territory. These clumsy lines, written by an uneducated child becoming a studied woman.

Yup. I liked the book.

So books.

I was reminded that lives are changing and our perception, our views, our world are constant and ever evolving elements throughout time. My Kindle was tugged away in my bag because My Words was not available for Kindle, so instead I had to add the bookweight to my luggage. One of these things I will always happily do because a nice companion on a long journey cannot be weighed up in grams or ounces.

I cannot imagine life without books.

And I am certainly one who hasn't often picked up a book over then past many many years except for those relating to my work whether this was in technology companies yonks ago or those about my passion and present work, holistic health and laughter, joy and communication.

The cult classic Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury published in 1953 sprung to my mind as I was thinking of books and their impact. The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and so-called "firemen" burn any that are found.

Well, it's a job just like any other. Good work with lots of variety. Monday, we burn Miller; Tuesday, Tolstoy; Wednesday, Walt Whitman; Friday, Faulkner; and Saturday and Sunday, Schopenhauer and Sartre. We burn them to ashes and then burn the ashes. That's our official motto.

Fahrenheit 451 - the temperature at which books burn!

The people who have formed the resistance to this atrocity memorise one book each and become that particular story.

So much information is available every moment of every day and sometimes it blurs our view of what is in fact true and false. The information posted on the internet is written by people and sometimes twisted to suit whoever wrote it - just like it is with any journalistic representation. We engage our minds in other people's lives via blogs and real-time messages.

Pick up a fictional novel from time to time. It really clears the mind in a wonderful way when you open a book on the first page and prepare yourself for the journey. Clears the mind to be ready for the world of the author who ransacked his mind to come up with lines of enchantment or perhaps it just flowed into a captivating story.

Honestly, take time out.
Whether it's with a book or just being sat on a tree stump pondering...

No pressure, just leisure!

Springtime.

The wind, the sun, the hair knots - Spring is here!

Spring is here.

Funny - everytime we get to this time and I think about spring the first song that comes into my mind is the original The Producers song Springtime for Hitler and Germany.

It may not be very politically correct but I am so sorry I just can't help my mind. The even funnier thing, in my book of funnies in this context, is that last week I met a German lass who brought up this song in conversation and we were both in stitches. You don't get more unpolitically-correct or politically-incorrect do you?

Yeah.
We laughed a lot that afternoon.

We laughed so much that everyone wanted more laughter the day after and I honestly hope the people who want more laughter never stop and always will create the settings for laughter when there is little or none.

That's what Laughter Professionals do.
Encourage laughter and encourage joy.

I was watching the news reporters on local TV tonight and no disrespect to the serious events taking place around the world but honestly? Is there really no space for a tiny smile while presenting?

Americans do it. But then...they are considered slightly OTT, aren't they? But they are not, are they? They are just naturally expressing themselves even in unnatural circumstances.

Let's stop judging and just be who we are.
Joyful being with an abundant ability to love.

I know this is an autumn picture but it is just so fresh faced - like spring!

Play, dance, laugh, and sing - and life will play, dance, laugh, and sing with you!

Now!
It really is now!
Everything is experiencing growth and positive change!

Tunnel Vision

Going back to St. Albans after a great Blue Mondy Laughter Session in Central London I was thinking of all the different things that have been going on this morning - in particular on the train to London, I just couldn't help smiling.

It has been a great morning and honestly, every morning is although this one was slightly different in its content.

This smiling-thing all went down while I was waiting for the train at St. Pancras...

Until I heard the announcement that any suspisciously behaving people would be apprehended for questioning... I thought I'd better stop smiling - and started giggling instead.

So what was so 'all that' about going to London on the train?

Nothing much, except a few notes taken!

Tunnel vision, good people, is not a requirement to move through the tunnels between the stations although it seems people going through these tunnels adapt to this way of viewing the world. No smile, no frown, no connection - just plain straght and forward directed gazes that look empty and meaningless - I wish they were... empty and meaningless.

The crammed Victoria Line rolled by towards my Oxford Circus destination - once - twice...

As I watched the fresh perms squashed against the tube windows roll by together with crinkled suit jackets and unjolly faces, I started wondering.

I politely raised my question question to the train-waiting-group I was enjoying the quiet waiting time with. Asking if anyone was regular and thereby would know how many trains on average it would take before we would get on one. A few shrugs, a couple of smiles, a comment or two saying 'we don't commute here daily' and a few LOOKS. The tube rolled by and then! The fourth train and luck struck.

I couldn't help grinning - no one got it, I just grinned on...

It is Blue Monday today but does it matter?

I was on my way to meet a group that didn't care much that today is a day for the blues because we were all set up for a laugh and by golly! We had a GREAT laugh - right there, by Oxford Circus Tube Station we did milkshakes and mental flossing along with lawnmower and meter laughs - all in a good days' work!

Even if only a few shared a shy smile - it is always worth wearing yours!
Even on the tube!
Especially on the tube!

Burumbubumbum...

Peace on Earth - can it be...

On the 1st day of December I was listening to Michael Bubble sharing his favourite Christmas songs. You don't have to like Christmas songs or even Christmas - and you can do all you want in your own way to avoid feeling December.

However, it is practically impossible!

With all the street displays, TV shows, radio programmes, smiling strangers, stressed people, overcrowded parking lots... well, how do you plan on avoiding it all?

It may not be to everyone's liking but if people would only let go of the 'stuff' that prevents them from experiencing the December-feeling then we are one step closer.

And I am not being disrespectful to anyone who is going through some of the challenges in life where Christmas may be the time of year it gets a little big tougher. All I'm saying is to keep an open mind and there is love in all hearts - especially useful if we have to dig a bit deeper past the shopping-stress and planning-panick because that is probably when it is most needed.

Seemingly impossible to avoid and if that really is true just make sure you extend your December goodwill - a smile really can create a bridge between a bad day and a good day.

Be gentle with the shopcrew - they are doing their best and tackling all possible situations with a smile even when it is sometimes a stiffened one. Smile on the phone, smile in the car, smile with other people, smile, smile smile...

Even if Christmas is not your celebration, have patience with everyone else who is amindst the seasonfrenzy of food, outfits and whatever else we focus on.

So, live a little peace on Earth and share some goodwill to men and women, animals and plants.

We are in it together - Christmas or no-Christmas.

Wishing you a wonderful December!

A Laughter Flashmob???

DUCKMOB 'Quack quack quack ahahahaha quack quack hahaha'

What the...??? How did that happen???

Numerous times over the past many years someone has said 'Laughter Flashmob' and everyone has excitedly joined in celebrating the excellent idea...

However, when it has come to realising the goal of flasmobbing a city with a laugh...well, that is a different story and the reason you are reading these lines in their current form and shape.

It so came about that I decided to spearpoint this event seeing that everyone thinks it is a superb idea but no one has taken the time to action it yet. The best thing about forefronting great ideas is that your team really quickly becomes a more-than-one-person team because the commitment to doing it, setting a date and getting the wheels moving makes it a possible happening and everybody LOVES that.

So, Laughter Network's Lisa Sturge and Lotte Mikkelsen (that would be me) are taking the idea to exciting reality - but let's all make it happen!

Does that make sense? Well, for me it does, because I have done that many times - agreeing to good ideas, nodding in the best-of-intention-type-of-agreement-nod and then doing nothing because no one ran with it and dusted the sneezy-dust off the project.

• Time has come to change things!
• Time has come to take action!

A good idea only lives when we act and when we act in unison there is a higher change of success, and when we act in a multitude of voices then we cannot fail!

So, here we go.
Somewhere in London on 5th July 2014 - and only the members of the club will know where exactly!

Rarely do I promote events on this blog but this is not only about the event but moreso about the courage and the will to take action on a good idea.

When Dr. Madan Kataria had the idea of starting a laughter club back in the 1995-days it took him 3 hours of action to kick it off - and yes, they were only 5 people on that day 13th March 1995 but things changed.

With willingness to put the bottom on the line and with a bit of cheeky courage and conviction we can overcome the worst cases of laissez-faire and boredom, stand-still and tiresome lack of urgency.

The support for this project is only a £2 donation which may cover our costs and the proceeds will be donated to our chosen charity!

It will be amazing to kick off the summer with a great and resounding laugh, echoing through London's touristfilled squares and streets.

Next stop...
World Peace!

I am - but we are!

When I received the email telling me that I was a Finalist in the Mumpreneur's Awards I was excited and totally over the moon!

The work I do is amazing and the lives that are moving on to be changed following the encounter with Laughter Yoga can never be belittled or underestimated. I have seen changes that have touched, moved and inspired me deeply and it is often a real mind-challenge to try and pass that across to anyone who has not experienced the changes.

However, Mumpreneurs know about change!

Someone mentioned in their talk that the term 'Mumpreneur' had been suggested changed to just be 'Entrepreneur' but in the discussion the person making the request completely missed the point of what Mumpreneurs in fact are all about. Who we are!

We are entrepreneurs and we are mums doing what entrepreneurs do plus all the things mums do. That should put the name change discussion to rest I imagine.

The really big deal is that there is an organisation who recognises the extraordinary in being just that person, these people.

So I came to the Mumpreneur's Conference and Awards on Saturday being 'just me' with a vision, a dream, and a drive...and I left being part of a bigger scheme of things called 'Mumpreneur'.

Being a Finalist in the Mumpreneur's Awards is humbling in many ways. Until Saturday 28th September 2013 it completely escaped my attention what the women who make up the network have in fact achieved so when I sat there listening to the Award Winners' names being called I felt so proud and so full of love that these amazing women were chosen to represent us. I also felt a big chunk of deepfelt gratitude that someone saw something in me and my business that placed me in the league of these unbelievably fantastic Mumpreneurs and I had a brief and passing moment of 'I'm not worthy'.

It was indeed a rapidly passing moment because if I made small what I do I would make small any step my students, friends, colleagues, clients and business partners have taken in the direction of bringing more laughter into their lives, and, good people, those steps may be babysteps in the world of doubters but they are gigantic leaps of faith that someone is there to support them in grabbing the moment and the laugh.

Even my little girl (18 tomorrow) was nodding in agreement that it was quite exceptional to be a Mumpreneur Finalist and who am I to belittle that feeling of awe which my daughter expressed to eloquently?

No one who has a passion and moves forward on their dream is small!

It really is moving to feel the love and gratitude from everyone who believes in what I do and what we do together and it is reciprocated big-time on a multitudal scale.

The Mumpreneur Award for Most Inspirational Mum went to one woman but I have no doubt that every one of the Mumpreneurs are fully emerged and embedded into the ethos of being a Mumpreneur and completely inspires those around us.

The Mumpreneur Award was not for me but I feld awarded and rewarded in such a big way that it was perfect just the way it was.

Besides I don't need an award to know the difference what I do makes in the world and coming home to knowing that in his eyes and arms I am the best of the best and leave the rest inspires me to continue the journey of bringing about positive change no matter what the challenge is.

Mumpreneur forever - I salute you all, us all!
Laughter Ambassador forever and a day!

A Joke

The work I do involves no comedy, humour or jokes - it is all about laughing for no reason and it is great! As you laugh more your sense of humour develops and you find more things funny - your laughter and joy become more easily accessible to you and lurks just under the surface.

Today I share ONE joke.

Often in life when we are facing challenging times we use humour to counterbalance the stress of the situation and avoid being upset all the time.

Too many of these?

Now, my situation is a tiny issue compared to lots of other people's stuff - I have a really achy tooth and my dentist has no time for me until midweek.

Friday was when I discovered the culprit - when it in fact decided to break.

Ouch!

I can cope, I thought, it is not painful...

Yeah, weekend! Woohoo! Toothache - boohoo!

So this is where I was reminded of a pretty poor joke that I will now share with you:

Question: When is the best time to go to the dentist?
Answer: 2:30 (tooth'urty)

Get it?

Well, the big thing about jokes is that they require the intellect to actually get the punchline - and do we all get it? Here's the issue, not getting it does not mean that we are less intelligent than those who do get it, it only means that our minds may not be focused on the track of the joke and so what.

Perhaps you recognise the situation where someone tells a joke and everyone laughs including yourself, but you mind is working overtime, steam rising 'what the h... was that all about - I really didn't get it' - you don't say, you just laugh politely with the others 'ha ha ha, yes, that's funny' - recognise it? How many of the group do you think have similar thoughts?

That thought alone would have me howling - never mind the joke, life is what's really great and fun!

Good jokes depend on your sense of humour and essentially 'sense of humour' is defined as the following in the Unabridged Dictionary:

the faculty of perceiving and appreciating the humorous

Many people come to the Laughter Club telling they don't have a great sense of humour but that is great news because Laughter Yoga does not require humour!

And just to recap, when you laugh you develop your sense of humour and start seeing the funny side of more situations and things in life, a really helpful and useful tool in this day and age where things seem to be more serious than ever.

So reminding you and myself...

Live well - love much - laughter often!

Coasting in the Middle Lane...

The usual scenery on the motorway with a few cars in the middle lane who are plodding along...

Why?
Well, it is a safe space.

The space where you won't get trapped between slower moving lorries like when you are in the slow lane and want to overtake, and you won't get flashed by the faster cars when moving too slow in the fast lane. It's the space where those who are on a slightly faster speed, although not fast enough for the fast lane, get their irritation fuelled and may arrive home in a stressed-out space because traffic just didn't move as it was supposed to...

Think about it for a moment.

• Ideas happen in the slow lane. 
• Adrenaline rushes happen in the fast lane. 
• Nothing but average happens in the middle lane.

How does that compare?
Are you coasting in the middle lane?

Just a quick story without the saucy details, in 1998 my journey from 'one-day-visions' to 'extra-ordinary-presence' started and it is a long story that took me through a few jobs, a divorce, a country-move, financial ruin, and it brought me to a place of blissful realisation that I have all I ever need - with lots of it from within and from the resourceful self...

From that place my life and my business started flourishing!

When you aim for extra-ordinary in your own life you see it all around you. When you don't expect extra-ordinary, it still surrounds you but it may be invisible and unachievable because it is one of these things that is just out of reach...

The Biker Club that raises money for Multiple Sclerosis in the UK

Wake up! Nothing is ever out of reach - only the mind creates stories of unworthiness and lack.

There is nothing mediocre about life - it is yours to experience on this plane of existence and you are more than worthy of every success and every moment you create.

Time is now - to stop coasting in the middle lane of life!

Anti-Laughter

We all have different levels of confidence and the comfort zone is different from person to person and then we have the hand we are dealt which determines the challenges and karma, as some would refer to it, we are faced with...

However, these feelings or boundaries are often mistreated as well as misrepresented in our society in such an unworthy way that leave people with a strong sense of self and enjoyment beat up by saddos and negative people who are jealous that fun can be had without substance intake and laughter is celebrated together and not as a taunt and spiteful activity in your face at you.

My friend and her mate were attacked at a great gig last week and this spurred our conversation about the insecurity and cynicism that flourish among us in life. During a superb event in London a random stranger leapt at them trying to push them over the balcony - fortunately without any luck - and all seemingly because they actually enjoyed the music, laughing, dancing, singing and having a blast...

Now, I know I'm not the quitest of people and my laughter is loud and expressed but my friend is certainly in the same league and it is always a treat to spend time in her company.

Why are we trying to suppress this natural expression?

Considering we are holding onto old air at the same time, I think it is a choice we are merely being brought up to think is acceptable mannerism.

Why is everything 'supposed' to be so controlled?

A laugh should be allowed to be fully outburst but in our suspicious society where rules are keeping us eyeing anyone who is a bit to loud. 'Lower your voice', 'You are so embarassing', 'I'm NOT with you' and comments like that... All because of patterns, conditioning and behaviour we have grown up with and if anyone steps out of these norms, well, shame on you!

There should be a course and an exam in self-expression, self-esteem, real values, and other important lessons in our schools so that we can more easily face the cynics and their sarcasm instead of getting knocked back and go into hiding. Or even remove the cynicism altogether - I know that's a very-long-term goal but one to work towards.

Jealousy of successes is also a major factor in people withdrawing from having a good laugh. We should celebrate success for other people because it brings joy to ourselves, but instead we go into nagging and discomfort and the place of greed and why isn't it me types of thinking... Comments like 'Born with a silverspoon...', 'They had it all made for them in the first place', 'Never had to lift a finger...' and other sentences are common. We say them behind people's backs to make us feel better about our own situation instead of stepping out of our own comfort zone and risking a bit of our ingrained need to comply with society's norms.

And it is all down to the risks we take!
Or don't take...

I challenge you this week to notice when you stop yourself from being your joyous self - noticing is the first step to the real value of letting it go! and when you notice... laugh! or sing! however random and out of context it may seem.

I love my own successes as well as the challenges I face, and I love it when I see people succeed around me - we cannot succeed without wanting other people to do the same and celebrate whatever success looks like!

By the way - loving my own successes is not said in a pompous, bragging way or with money-only in mind - not at all, but moreso said as a means to make self-acknowledgements acceptable and a way to prosper in all areas of life.

Life really IS full of surprises...
...and laughter shall set you free!

Propaganda and Coriander

Make Love Not War

Persuasion, publicity, campaigning - tapping into emotions instead of the intellect...

There is an exhibition at British Library at the moment about propaganda and that's where it had me pondering - whilst waiting for friends to arrive I sat with my British Library salad which made me choke when I realised it was full of coriander, the green stuff that I dislike so much that I may even say I HATE it.

After the initial coriander horror experience I was reading the screen that described the propaganda show, "From leaflet drops to tweets, for intentions good and bad.", it read.

Propaganda - from the verb 'propagare' meaning 'set forward, extend, spread, increase' - anything we market can be considered propaganda, then - or?

Mostly the term has been connected with religious and political campaigning in the history of times and as such it has a certain quality to the sound and use.

So is it one of those words that has a negative vibe to it? And is it true that if some groups use it then it is 'propaganda' but if other people promote ideas then it is 'education and information'? Who is to decide what is what and who is who?

In the olden days when the word came about it was not just used in campaigns considered to be of religious or political nature - propaganda was used in promotion of health and wellbeing.

The thing about propaganda though is that it relates a lot to persuasion and a lot of propaganda in the past has played on fear and insecurities - so where is free will?

When I sat staring with great animosity at my salad I felt tired just thinking about removing these tiny specks of green before eating it. 'Coriander is good for you', I thought. Somewhere someone wrote this and placed the idea in my mind, and it's certainly not the sensation coriander creates on my tastebuds that has initiated this thought.

Is this propaganda - or just information and education?

Coriander is an excellent source of minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. It is also rich in many vital vitamins including folic-acid, vitamin-A, beta carotene and vitamin-C that are essential for optimum health. Vitamin-C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Coriander leaves provides 30% of daily recommended levels of vitamin C. The health benefits of cilantro are many. Its powerful anti-inflammatory capacities that can help one deal with symptoms of arthritis. Coriander leaves offer great relief from stomach indigestion problems and the like. It also helps reduce feelings of nausea. Studies have shown that it has got strong antioxidant properties and it helps promote healthy liver function.

And then there is a choice! I still dislike coriander from an honest heart!

If I think about all the things I have eaten over the years because I read it was good for health or weight management or heightened brain function or whathaveyou, I can see the persuasion in all the messages about good health and greater connection with ourselves and others. It doesn't mean it's good or bad - it only means that we can be left with a lot of confusing messages when we are told potatoes are good for us and next minute they are not.

So propaganda or marketing?

Well, we buy into the messages that trigger our emotional responses and in the end - we are all more than capable of choosing what is right for us and what is less right. Sometimes, however, we are more inclined to go with the masses than our own gut feeling.

Choose wisely and trust your intuition - it makes a huge difference.

Laughter Yoga - non-political, non-religious, Monsanto-free and TOTALLY free from coriander!

£2.50 for a missing pancake

In September 2012 Sainsbury's introduced a new brand of pancakes and in the knowledge that the young people who frequents my home had taken a liking to ready-made pancakes I decided to try them out.

Six pancakes in a pack, just like the old Sainsbury's brand...

My surprise was rather large when the package turned out to contain five pancakes only, and kind-hearted as I am (if I may say so myself) I decided to make the company aware of this calculation error just in case less good-natured people would discover the same number fault and complain. So, my email to them was in no way a complaint but more of a friendly note.

I forgot all about it because it was not an important issue in my life to walk around pondering on missing pancake number 6.

In February 2013 I received an email about the missing pancake issue and I was rather bemused that they even bothered after all that time. But setting things right they offered me a refund even though I insisted it wasn't a complaint and knowing they had read my message and looked into the matter was good enough for me - if they really insisted they could just send me an Easter Egg (or was that too cheeky?). Too cheeky it must have been because I received a cheque in the post...

I will not make companies aware of their non-serious but amusing errors anymore.

It was a sweet gesture that they offered a refund but a complete waste of time, money, cheque fees, and paper.

However, the essence is that some people care about the reputation of their brands and it is nice that they care enough to write back - an email is sufficient for me.

I hope that everyone will care as much about Laughter Yoga and its reputation as Rutland Foods cares about 6 Abra-Ca-Debora Pancakes or rather 1 of them.

I know I do!

The work I do is for the benefit of others and I always strive to deliver training and workshops in a way that recognises and supports each individual in a compassionate and respectful way.

And if ever someone has an issue with the work then it is up to me not to make excuses for someone being in a different frame of mind than me but accept that Laughter Yoga may not be for everyone.

I would refund a £2.50 pancake, too, metaphorically speaking.

The Story of a Laughter Workshop

This week's post is slightly different from the past many weeks' blogposts because I would like to share with you the workshop I ran last week with The Regency Training Foundation and Headway.

It was really touching and brought back memories from my own family and our stories.

NB With reference data protection and contractual terms I cannot mention personal details, this is also the reason the photos are blurred except for my own picture being in focus.

I hope you will enjoy reading even if it is somewhat longer than the usual blog. I will be back with a lot of the usual 'Lotte-sense' next week...

Laughter with Headway

Working with adults with head or brain injury, physical or sensory disability suffered through accident, haemorrhage or stroke at Headway was an inspiring event and it is fair to say that it was a wonderful day spent in great company.

Over the autumn of 2012 Patricia O’Malley of The Regency Training Foundation had put all her energy into obtaining funding for the 6-week programme for re-building confidence in the community.

With a passion for helping vulnerable people in the community she dug into the paperwork and it paid off – the funding was awarded and the team working with Patricia and The Regency Training Foundation was excited about the opportunity that had opened through winning the bid.

Planning started and in February 2013 the programme kicked off with nine participants who had all been through the motion of losing part or even most of their mobility. Events such as strokes and other activity altering illnesses had affected their lives but instead of staying at home they wanted something special from life, they all wanted to engage with their peers and their communities.

The six week course of confidence building, communication, time management, anger management, stress and anxiety busting and laughter therapy was an opportunity to learn skills to bring them back in action and take their lives back.

Laughter Therapy – this is where I come into the picture...

On 5th March I ventured up to Bedford with Patricia, with butterflies in my stomach, excitement as I was about to meet the group who Patricia and other consultants had worked and connected with for four weeks already, and I was also slightly concerned that a three hour laughter session could prove to be a challenge that was one hour too long.

But was I wrong?!?! I could not have imagined the group even if I had tried based on any information – there was no hard work, grumpiness, introverted attitudes or the likes – there was a group of people who wanted something special – not just from the laughter session but from the whole programme, and they had already started their journey!

How to kick off the laughter session?

My head was spinning, I have run many laughter workshops but it was important to do this one well because I was not the only business involved and there was more at stake than my own reputation. Added to this pressure which I set up myself of course, was the fact that the press would be around in the afternoon to interview a few of the participants as well as Patricia in her role as Founder and Project Manager of The Regency Training Foundation.

Concerns seemed so pitiful, though, when people’s lives are on the line and all there is, truly is the contribution and the life changing experience you can provide at facilitator. I was halfway expecting cynical and bitter faces – who would never expect or even accept that their lives have changed so dramatically and may never ever be as they were before the brain injury. Again I’m pleased I was only halfway expecting it because these attitudes only exist if you expect them fully and if you don’t then you have a world of opportunity and wonderful faces that may break into smiles any minute.

Starting the day with an introduction to highlight the fact that we don’t need a reason to laugh and that we can in fact laugh at anything, we are not our names or addresses even though we use these labels to identify with – we can laugh at ourselves and it doesn’t even hurt. ‘My name is Lotte – hahahaha – and I live in St. Albans – hahahaha’, a short version of the traditional Laughter Yoga Training introduction went down well and there were lots of laughs and giggles, a few heads shaking and a bit of suppressed laughter, all very good, very good yeah!

The one-hour morning session was full of talk, background, reasons, benefits, with lots of little chuckles, breaths, laughs and happy sighs interspersed to ensure people didn’t nod off. It was fun and lively and it seemed to be at the right pace.

Laughter Kirtan – call and response exercise before lunch... now, where do I start and finish?!?! What great fun! Why does it work? It works, not just because it is fun but because it makes people listen, respond, exercise their faces, laugh, clap, use their brain but not in a thinking way. We finished the day with a messed up Laughter Kirtan exercise where I couldn’t quite keep it together with a straight smiling face but did it matter? Not the least, laughter was readily available on everyone’s lips by then. 

There is no doubt one of my favourite Laughter Yoga exercises is Mental Flossing as it is a great way to clear the three misconceptions of laughter, i.e. we have to be happy, have a reason, and have a sense of humour to laugh – none of it is true when you know Laughter Yoga, and Mental Floss Laughter clears those thoughts beautifully. 

They must have thought I was mad...but it was great fun. 

What worked was laughter exercises and more laughter exercises – we did all the great foundation exercises, rude-noise-laughter-cream, slurpy-hot-soup, naughty-milkshake-splash, and lots more. 

People love playing, laughing and having a good time no matter where they are in their lives. Singing, laughing, clapping, playing, grounding – all of it worked and the three hours went by in what seemed a fraction of the time. Amazing what you can achieve when you are having fun. 

I received fantastic feedback but the best of it was all the smiling faces, the chatting, the laughs, the bye-bye, and the lives changed with a laugh – nothing can outweigh the feeling of having made a difference. 

The group was lovely and amazing, and I love working with people who get it just as much as people who may not get it at first – because who knows what happens when they get to think of it!

Keys, phone, purse.

Super Carla from 1960s Denmark

Mostly being an extraordinary person with superpowers such as laughter, compassion, joy, love and fun sets me free and releases me from fears and worries.

However, when the snow arrived I discovered that even I  am just a normal person - what a revelation and relief .

I dropped my keys in the snow when it had only just fallen and was lovely, white and fluffy. The irony of it is that I dropped when somewhere on my driveway and you would think that the quest to find them would be quite simple, e.g. bend down and pick up.

Nooo no no no no - it wasn't that simple at all. My keys had vanished when I dropped them in the pursuit of opening the gate while kicking away snow to allow the gate a few extra inches of movement. Perhaps I kicked the snow and pushed the gate too hard and my keys flew out of my hand.

Well, in any case I panicked after the short search in the natural perimeter and I spent a good hour searching, thinking of all the inconvenient things that would happen while I to wait for spring when the snow would melt away.

Panicking didn't help, breathe, breathe, breathe, left-over panick, breathe, breathe, breathe, discover keys in untouched snow, they had just slipped into the snow without leaving a mark - phew, was I happy to find them? Don't even ask!

It did make me think of my triggers for upsets. There aren't that many, honestly, and I can easily snap out of it very quickly.

Besides - what is the worst thing that could happen?

When you ask that question things fall into the proper perspective and life is in fact quite nice even with missing keys, the people in the phone will be there even when the phone is not, the content of the purse is merely symbolic plastic that can be replaced - so what is the big deal?!

Inconvenience is all it is - to me, that is.

I was reminded of my superpowers last week, when I received a message from my teenager. In  her English Litterature class they had been writing a small poem about a person that inspires them and along with her two friends they wrote a poem about me. A touching moment where I realised that there is so much more to be said for the impact each of us have on each other, and our families, friends, peers etc.

There is nothing you cannot overcome when you have superpowers for the good and graciousness of other people.  Being a Laughter Ambassador and Teacher is all about serving the highest good of other people and in this process set aside what is not important as well as be gentle with the self.

We live in a materialistic world but even this is on the change movement, more and more people are on a journey to discover what is truly important and I feel blessed, chuffed, touched, moved and inspired as well as grateful to be allowed onto your path!

We constantly rediscover laughter in so many places and although laughter may not be all in life,  laughter can certainly help enhacing our experience of the magical moments and miracles as we let our guards down and remove our worries, fears and inhibitions.

Thank you from a fairly normal extraordinary person to another!

Lollipops!

They come in all sizes, shapes and flavours, don't they?

Smiley Lollipop by 'Nightingales' in Bourne

My favourite lollipop provides me with the flavoursome opportunity of smiling! It rests on my window sill for me to smile at everytime I look out the window which I do when I contemplate things, ideas as well as philosophise a bit on life, the Universe and everything - as if to find inspiration from the world outside.

'Find inspiration from the world outside'? Isn't that where it comes from - sometimes?

Except sometimes inspiration strikes from within whether you meditate or don't meditate. A thought is all it takes, a moment of stillness is all it takes, a reflection or a view - inspiration comes in all sizes, shapes and flavours, as well a feelings, emotions and breaths.

• Inspire - breathe in - mind processing...
• Expire - breathe out - world processing...

Expire in this context (or in my mind) does not mean 'coming to the end of the lifetime'. In this line of thought it is about sharing the inspired moment, the in-breath, with the world, expressing the idea and bringing it to life outside the personal mind.

So, lollipops, eh? Great to accompany thinking.

I like the lemon flavours but I don't dislike the other flavours, and isn't that what life is also about?

Not disliking things because they don't comply with your taste, but instead being open-minded about the possibility of someone else being compatible with that personally-disliked-object/subject-of-your-attention...

I believe it is but it is easy to judge instead of seeing what's possible and available through experiencing something different.

Yeah, lollipops takes you around a lot of thinking thoughts in their many sizes, shapes and flavours...

Just like ideas and people!

Just an observation.

If you read my posts regularly you may have noticed that it has been quite serious stuff lately (perhaps with the exception of last week about 'styling it out')!

Yet it has been about grabbing life and living it with panache and power. About seeing the humour in life and living it light-heartedly. About letting go of 'stuff' that wears you out. About values and appreciation. About lots of things you already know.

So, where was I? Oh yes, laugh along with living - there is nothing better than starting the day on a laughter-high, except perhaps on a love-high but that is a different story and different blogpost, what are you waiting for?!

Take a deep breath into your whole body, drop your jaw and let the belly sounds out, HA HA HA HA! Does it matter if anyone stares? I bet they wish they knew what you know.

Share what you know about laughter and life, give people the gift of a joyful perspective, it all comes down to not feeling precious about it all or too self-conscious in your sharing of the key to longevity with laughter.

Share your laughter and your smiles with the world!

Holding back serves no one and especially not you. So many people crumble because they hold back instead of letting themselves be their own self-expressed natural beings.

Getting back to being serious now... that was not the intention in this blog post. How to get back?!

Laugh, giggle, chuckle, grin, guffaw, smile, smile, smile.

I noticed my neighbourhood people when I was walking up shopping on Saturday morning, it was a beautiful and cold morning, but it didn't seem to matter because the sun seemed to bring out the best in everyone including their smiles.

For the first time in the 11 and a bit years I've lived in the UK I was not the one initiating a smile with walk-passers, they smiled just as much.

I could see the smiles on their faces from a distance and it was just such a life affirming and joyful moment in time to know that other people smile, too, out of free will, and not always because I smile first - although it mostly helps...

But these spontaneous, uninhibited smiles embrace the beauty and abundance in the day.

Smiles are fantastic and contagious, wear a smile and go viral!

Style it out!

What a brilliant expression!

I only heard it the other day when Kat mentioned it on the One-On-One Laughter Coaching Training (which, by the way, is a BRILLIANT training for Laughter Professionals so I have included the link to the details of it).

'Style it out' - what is it all about then?

It makes me laugh out loud just thinking about it!

Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you can feel your cheeks heating up, the stammer is making its way across your lips or even the nervous laughter is on a crash course?

Only because you have bonged a step and stacked it down the stairs, tripped over an invisible stone or burst out something completely inappropriate, made a gesture that only created cringing toes or just been out of place in general?

Well, I do find myself in that situation ever so often, and no doubt a select group of friends will agree that this is what I master to perfection.

I guess being Danish in a British Reservation Area makes me less politically correct than I should probably consider being all things taken into account.

So that do you do?

The answer is right there! Style it out!

You can do nothing to reverse time to the moment before that error or embarrasing event so just go with it and do it in style.

Commit to that cringy mishap and act as if it was the most natural thing to do and not a misconducted gesture.

Style it out!

I love the example in the Urban Dictionary...

I did a Hitler salute, but when no-one laughed I decided to style it out by pretending to scratch my armpit instead

And that is exactly what it's about - so simple! If you near-trip just pretend you are reaching for something you dropped or whichever seems to work for you, it's just a bit of mischief in the daily routine. It is good fun and creative, and it happens in a flick of an eyelash. Of course it works with spontanous misadventures only.

I skip when I trip hahaha - let me hear your stories!

The Hollister Experience

Inspired by one of my good laughter-friends, Sue, and her words:

How many times have you thought: "I'll go out and buy an outrageously expensive, poorly-made T-shirt, with a lot of branding on it, but I'll buy it in the dark, where I can't see what I'm buying, what colour it is, or size, or price?".

Nope, me neither.

But some people must think this way - otherwise what's the point of Hollister?

It is clear that this is a phenomenon that some people have branded in an outrageously good way! That goes for Abercrombie, too - they are the same company, aren't they...???

What are we searching for that makes it okay for organisations to rob us of our pennies in a way that leaves us questionning our sanity when we return home and open our shopping bags with a face of anticipation that quickly turns into disbelief?

Well, mine does whenever I have, with great excitement, looked into my teen-daughter's purchases - for which I have often been the purse... all in a good days work and shopping! 

I know what this particular smiley :-o means - I must have been the model for it...

Hollister - almost rhymes with demolisher, and that is what they do, demolish account balances in plus and turn them into minus.

You may be under the assumption that I don't like Hollister and the likes - in essence I just think they prey on young people's minds in an unhealthy way. But they are not the only ones to ever have done that - it happens all the time and what is there to do? Stop buying? Stop shopping? Well, not my choice for sure hahaha!

People shop for youth, health and beauty, and all of it is availably under your nose in Hollister and Abercrombie (as well as endlessly many other places). Although in my opinion it is a bit of stereotypical image of Barbie and Ken beauty that does not allow for 'normal' beautiful people to be in the crowd.  Where is the Equal Opportunities Policy for job seekers at these beauty-fixated shops?

Nevertheless, we shop for this image that the media has created and we do it with smiles on our faces to make sure the crowd knows we belong - even if the usual size 12, 14 or 16 etc feels a bit tighter than the usual size 12,14 or 16 etc...

Christianshavn - where I lived and shopped second-hand...

Pretty clothes can cover up a lot of things but the attitude is difficult to hide away.

With certain shops comes a certain attitude...that's why second-hand shops are great for me and my second-hand attitude!

Love life - love shopping!?!?

Everything Happens for a Reason

Last Monday I received the 'Note from the Universe' which is kindly channelled by Mike Dooley.  The note read the following:

For every setback, disappointment and heartbreak, Lotte, ask yourself, "What does this create the opportunity for?"

And therein you will find its gift.

Everything has a reason,
The Universe

Thank you, Universe, for your continued support - I am sure I will fully get it at some point.

That is indeed a great thought and a way I always view things... Opportunity in all challenges! Miracles constantly in the making no matter the obstable!

My life is not only about my work although it is a big part of me . It also holds great elements of love and friendship, buildingblocks for any human being to grow from and feel connected to life.

I never underestimate the magical and powerful energy 'my people' bring into every moment of every thought they fill, the inspiration and imagination they add to my every day.

Everything happens for a reason and every encounter has its value even if it seems bleak at times and events may unfold in ways that appear to carry no blessing whatsoever.

Often when trying to force a certain outcome things start going in the opposite direction... Therefore, going with the flow and knowing that the Tao, the Energy, the Source, the Life Force, whichever term you use, will lead the way combined with your efforts and actions.

I believe in the outcome of my dreams and although to some it may seem a farfetched way of planning, I know that things will turn out wonderfully as long as the energy I add in terms of thought, visualising, inspired action etc. is in line with the highest good of everyone involved.

Oh yes! The Future creeps into every day transforming itself mirthfully into the Present!

The Dream for World Peace through Laughter in Action

Dream your dreams wildly, vividly, large, huge, amazing, unimaginable, colourful, beautiful, lively - and then build them in reality!

Now is the right time!

I hope in some ways that my doodles drawn up in these writtenly expressed thoughts create room for you, who read my blurb, to find inspiration for something bigger than the self.

My thoughts may not always make tremendous sense at first glance but who could fully understand another person's mind, in any case?

Wishing you a week full of wonderment and unforseen miracles and opportunities!