Out of highschool, I studied art/design. I later went the path of Mainframe and Personal Computer development; hardware/softwar support and training. I was able to use both my logic and right brain creativity to help others learn, to translate 'technical talk' into easy to understand, explanations.

I recently had a challenge with my wireless mouse. I tried all the basic troubleshooting, but it didn't fix the problem. I researched comments, feedback and online guides, that also didn't fix the problem. I tried everything LOGICALLY possible!

Well! Ah! Ha! This morning I decided to 'think outside the box'! I left the logic behind and went over to the RIGHT SIDE! I got CREATIVE, a bit illogical. I switched my primary mouse click button to the RIGHT button. It is now working beautifully!

The other benefits are that my right index finger gets a break, and I get to exercise other muscles and tendons when I click/select object on my computer screen!

Also, I get to exercise my brain cells as I retrain my brain to click the RIGHT button to select vs the LEFT!

It's all about approaching it from a RIGHT brain, creatively PHresh Outlook!

Sometimes, in life, we need to 'take a different road', let go of an old pattern or routine, or an old view. See things anew! Go to the RIGHT brain, let go of the fear, and get creative!

Go ahead! Take a walk on the wild side, the Right Brain side! That's the TICKET, uh - I mean way to CLICK IT!/p>

Ah! Ha! Helen - not MOUSIN' AROUND!

I studied Interior Design out of Highschool; my final project an apartment building with 'visibly pleasing', non-hospital- looking, apartments for family members consisting of 'all life expressions' - no such thing as DISABILITY.  My only focus; 'how can I build or design this space so it's efficient and useable by EVERYONE that lives there - no matter how they were born into this world or may have physically, mentally, emotionally later changed'?

In the BUILDING world - there are STANDARDS based on what SOCIETY sees as 'THE NORM'.  I don't SEE ANY NORM, I don't even know who NORM is!  (that's my off joke) 

I don't like children slotted into PERCENTILES or 'averages'; being judged and rated against others. I was an honors graduate because of the brain that came with my body; but I am no better than anyone else. I say we are ALL LIFE EXPRESSING; not less than, not better than.

When I was studying interior design, the standards in building counter-top heights were for a 5' 5" person.  Average height clothing for women was based on that height, also.  If you didn't fit that 'average', you had to 'adjust to it' or 'hem the pants or skirt!' 

Back in 1978, I visited a commercial office furnishings store in Philadelphia.  There was a wonderful, space-saving designed unit for file cabinets!  It was floor to ceiling, and had a hand crank on the front to move the files from left to right, only ever allowing space for one 'aisle-way' to get to the files.  For example, it had 4 rows of files, but not 3 areas of walking space.  It made the most use of space for a small office! 

Another unit didn't have 'any' walking space, it used a robotic arm to file and retrieve the file from a box-like unit!

I have talked and written about there being 'no disabilities' in this world, just physical spaces designed for 'averages' and an 'imaginable Norm'.   I say to ADAPT and ADJUST the Office, Home, Shopping, and Driving spaces of our world to 'ADJUST' to the wonderful VARIETY of LIFE EXPRESSIONS on this planet!  There are NO DISABILITIES!

We have wonderfully creative minds with the ABILITY to CHANGE our OUTLOOK on how we design our living space!  In the space I designed, I created a dining table that folded up and against the wall to look like a piece of art work when not in use!  This allowed for freedom of movement within the living space!

Why not, like the office files systems, have cabinets and counter tops moveable, adjustable for varying heights and abilities!   Make the 'mountain come to Mohammed' instead of the human having to adapt and adjust to use the device?

I think it's time we stop FOLLOWING NORM.  Norm needs to expand, adapt, adjust to the variety of life expression on this planet.   Just think if the majority of human life form were born 3 feet tall, or without arms, or without legs?  Imagine how our buildings, dwellings would look?  Would we have steps at all?  Would we be swinging or rolling from place to place?  Would a person of greater height, with legs then be labeled Handicap or Disabled?

Makes you think?  GREAT! Look at Life Dwellings and Transportation from a PHresh Outlook!

Calling all architects, plumbers, electricians, designers, teachers, doctors to STOP FOLLOWING NORM and look at Life Expression as Life Expressing in a Variety of Ways! See the BEAUTY and FASCINATION of it all!

The challenge is on!  Appreciate LIFE in ALL its forms of EXPRESSION, stop LABELING and trying to make the square peg fit into the round hole.  

WE CAN DO IT! I KNOW IT! Norm is an imaginary creation.  Norm has left the building.  Norm couldn't adjust.

Here's a wonderful example! http://www.wimp.com/newdevice/     CELEBRATE LIFE!  Adapt, adjust, respect.

AH! HA! Helen - just BEing.

I was 'Weed Whacka Ha Ha Ha-ing' my yard, as I like to refer to it, and I ran out of TWINE on the spool! I was WHINING due to the spool over-feeding the twine, and causing it to run out sooner than needed.

On top of this, I had broken the plastic plate that covers the spool and helps the spool to know how much twine to feed.

I have had wonderful support from the home fix-it store where I purchased the weed whacker.  I had it replaced at no cost when it wouldn't work after a year!  So never fear!  Just ask customer service!

*sigh - so I stopped 'whining' about the 'over-twining' and got into my car to go out and get another spool.

What a thrill I received!  I got to see a beautiful, red, glowing ball of sun as it was setting!  Wow!

As the Central PA area of the Earth turned away from the setting sun, I got to see a gorgeous, peachy, orange, red, glorious glow in the sky over the mountains!  Did I say it was gorgeous?

When I went into the store to get the weed whacker spool, I had to check and make sure I was getting the correct replacement.  Yes, I had taken the old one with me!  I was standing there reading the packages, part numbers, comparing the spools; then, I hear a little electronically-paged voice behind me .... 'customer needs assistance ...

first it was loading a vehicle, then it was in some other department. 

I got curious as to why the voice was coming through the shelving behind me. 

I turned around, listened, then saw a Walkie-Talkie phone sitting on the shelf!  An employee had forgotten their work phone!  I'm such a 'people helper', I was thrilled to have found it, to get to be the one to turn it in!

But! Then the LUCILLE BALL side of me took over!  *tee hee hee ...  I picked up the walkie-talkie and looked over the buttons.  I pushed one button down and said:  'I found the Plumbing Department's Walkie Talkie!'  *tee hee

No response. 

I started to walk towards the open aisle, and encountered another customer coming towards me.  'I found the Plumbing Department's Walkie Talkie', I announced with a mischievious grin on my face.  The man laughed, and I put it back up to my mouth, trying another button and said: 'Hello? Hello?'  He laughed as he went off to search for home-fix-it stuff.

I walked towards customer service, and encountered a door-greeter sales person.  I told him I had found it and turned it over.  He didn't look too happy.  

I told the story to the checkout cashier as I purchased my spool.  She LOVED IT! She thanked me for sharing the story.  It brought a laugh and smile to her face. 

Outlook Shift Engineer in motion, Over-twining, Whining, Playing and Paging, and sharing the joy of moving forward, in the glow of a gorgeous sunset.

In gratitude with a higher altitude attitude, Ha Ha Helen. 

Did you ever see the the Twilight Zone episode where the man is annoyed with people, loves to read, and makes a strong wish about being left alone so he can read in peace?  Burgess Meredith played the role.  He wore very thick, focal lenses.  Well, one day, he gets his wish! Something happens and all the people in the world are instantly gone! He is surrounded by rubble and a pile of books.  Ah! he thinks, now I can read in peace.  Something happens, his eyeglasses fall off and he steps on them.  The episode sits with him devastated, not able to read, and no one around to talk with or help. 

I don't like high-pitched technical equipment sounds, so to turn it around, I 'joined the conversation', and started to talk back!

Several years back, I chose to learn how to say 'Hello, Goodbye, How are you, and Thank you" in many different languages.  I find this is an interesting way to break the cultural barriers, a great conversation opener.  I listen for accents and then, gently, introduce myself, my family background and engage the total stranger in conversation!  I learn a lot this way!

When I was at a cashier checkout line at a pharmacy, the other day, the electronic card payment device was Beep, booping at me.  It beeped, and booped as I entered my PIN.  What did I do?  I responded!

"Beep! Beep! Boop! Boop! to you, too!"  I said.  The people around me usually go quiet.  Imagine that!

"I speak technical equipment talk", I said. 

Then, yesterday, as I waited in line behind a gentleman at another store checkout line, I heard a very lyrical transmission signal.  Beepity boop boop boopity beep beep beep.  It was coming from his pants pocket.

'Your pants pocket is ringing!' I told the man.  

He didn't respond but started to reach for the device.  'Beepity boop boop Beepity boppity boop!' I said.

The cashier looked at me.  'I speak technical signal device talk" I said.  I used to do tech support!

What can I say! I can be annoyed, or I can take a PHresh Outlook on the situation and go with the flow!

Now, I can add Technical Equipment Signal to my list of foreign languages learned!  French, Spanish, Italian, Thai, Laos, Slovakian/Bosnian, Phillipine, East and South Africa, the list is growing!

Hello, Bonjour, Kamusta, Majaba, Coma Estas, Dobra Utra, Com' estai, Sa what de ka!, Sa bi dee! Jambo! and Beeeep! boop! No matter how you say it, HELLO! and have a great day!

p.s. Depending on your age, you might also recall the JETSONS' cartoon episode where 'Judy Jetson' enters a song writing contest.  Her younger brother, Elroy, accidentally sends in his coded language EEP OP ORK, AH AH.  Judy wins the contest, the young male space star sings the song, and it comes out as:  EEP OP ORK AH AH .. that means I LOVE YOU!   

hmm... wonder if the technical equipment is hitting on me?  Okay! Back to reality. 

Learning to take care of my own needs at a very early age, I tended to exist in a daze, in my own world.  I was in a state of numbness at times.  It was interesting going to school and being seen as the unkempt, outcast, at times bullied, kid.  It was also interesting watching the television commercials advertising all the wonderful toys kids should be writing to Santa about, to receive for Christmas. 

After one attempt of writing to Santa, and receiving a plastic iron and ironing board instead of the latest Barbie craze I had requested, I learned to stop asking.  It was difficult going to school and having to reveal I had not gotten the gift requested from Santa, embarrassed as the other girls (some, the bullies) excitedly chatted about their gifts. 

I hated going to birthday parties, showing up in my Sunday best, when the other girls were all wearing casual clothes ready to go out and play, because the message hadn't been received by my mom, causing the 'birthday girl' to be angry that I had ruined the party.

Years later, I learned of challenges that occurred in the lives of some of these girls.  One, particular, an honors student, didn't go to college due to her older brother being harmed by drug use while attending college.  I had attended the School of Hard Knocks early on in life, which prepared me.  One of the other girls dealt with a pregnancy in highschool.   I often felt my hard, early, life lessons, protected me - in a way.  My outcast nature, kept me safe, in a way. 

I was able to forgive the girls that had bullied me, seeing that they had their own life challenges.  It's all about walking in someone else's shoes.

But, back to THE GIFT!  I was the type of person to receive a gift; and had the misfortune of a very readable face!  While I didn't say much, the giver of the gift would see the blank look, etc. and realilze I wasn't thrilled. It wasn't a purposeful thing, I just didn't see the point of 'wasting the money' when the giver didn't really know what I wanted, or needed.  I also had low expectations of deserving anything.

I know, just keep reading ...

One day, around age 40, I had an Ah! Ha! moment!  I was sitting in my home and suddenly realized what the phrase: 'The Gift is in the Giving!' really meant!  I became teary-eyed, and felt the warmth of the scene in The Grinch that Stole Christmas, where he hears the villagers singing despite having their material gifts taken away.

I realized: THE GIFT is that I had been HELD, WARMLY in one's thoughts!  I suddently thought:  'Wow! Someone took time out of their day, out of their life, to think about me and want to bring me joy!'   While I might not undertand why they chose to give me what they did, it was that they 'had' thought about me and chose to give me the gift!

As life goes on, the gifts get to be less, and the cards received are less, making the receiving of these gifts and cards all the more PRICELESS!

Gifts come in all shapes, sizes and forms!  I received the gifts of the mean girls, early on in life.  Life lessons are learned in many ways.  I now teach Good-Hearted Living (by Steve Wilson), which shows the Priceless gifts of Compliments, Kindness, Forgiveness, Gratitude and Flexibility!  I often tell folks, there is no recession nor income issue when it comes to the giving of these gifts! 

In gratitude and warmth, I am thankfull for this blog opportunity and all those who read and are inspired by it. Thank you for having held me in your thoughts.

So she wouldn't have to cross to the other side!  *ba dump bump!

Ever worried about taking that 'Leap with Faith"?  Why? Faith is fun! Just take her hand and leap!

I learned that lesson from a pet chicken my family aquired, back when I was a pre-teen. 

One day, my dad came home with a live chicken!  He had been driving down Eisenhower Boulevard, in Harrisburg PA, and saw the chicken (No! not trying to cross the road! HA HA) walking along the side of the road.  He figured it had fallen off a truck that was transporting chickens to 'their fate'!  He said: 'If that chicken is still there when I'm heading home, I'm going to stop and pick it up.

Well! The rest is history!  'Chickie' became the family pet! My dad was thrilled when Chickie laid her first egg! He had set up a nice nest in the garage, and later got really creative, making a ramp and higher nest for Chickie!  Chickie had a Condo!

Every morning, my dad would come into the house, thrilled, to have received a fresh egg from Chickie!  I was amazed when I saw that Chickie could Walk Up the Back Steps from the garage to the kitchen door!  I never knew chickens could handle steps!  (Laugh Out Loud!)

Chickie would come to the kitchen door; because she would smell the food my mom was cooking.  One day, I took some grapes out to Chickie, held them out while standing on the kitchen doorstep, and Chickie JUMPED up and took the grape!  What a great pet! Chickie could jump for grapes!

Chickie lived a long life! Chickie lived to lay over 100 eggs!  Yes! My dad kept count!  No, chickie was not consumed. 

So what is the moral of this story?  If chickie had remained on the truck with the other chickens, she may not have survived that day!  As it was, Chickie took a LEAP WITH FAITH!  As a result, she got to live the high life!

Chickie didn't go along with the crowd, Chickie was Flexible and went for the Gratitude!

Chickie didn't cross the road, nor did she 'cross to the other side' at a young age. 

Are you pondering whether to take that leap with faith? Faith is fun and loves to jump for grapes, uh ... I mean leap!

Break away from the herd, pack, or is it a flock of chickens?  Norm is 'for the birds', jump off the one-directional truck and take a new road!  Perhaps a good samaritan will help you out, along the way?

Take that leap with faith, and perhaps you'll later find that attitude of gratitude!  It's a lesson I'm learning right now.

Who knew a life lesson could be learned from a brave chicken?

I was entering a grocery store, yesterday, on the outskirts of the city of Harrisburg.  As I walked through the produce section, my eye caught a woman who had just picked up a green cabbage, slightly bouncing it in her right hand, feeling the weight of it. 

I immediately thought of a baseball pitcher on a mound, preparing to throw.  I caught her eye, smiled and said: 'You look like you are ready to throw that cabbage like a ball!'  The woman smiled, and I realized she hadn't understood what I had said.

Besides learning bits of many languages, I also know some sign language as well as how to communicate and interact with persons from all life expressions.  I respect physical space and mental/physical abilities when communicating.  I am familiar with brain damage as well as other neurological degrees of abilities.  I stop, look, listen and observe to see how I might best communicate with anyone I meet.

I did not know the culture, nor language of this woman, I just knew that my American lingo wasn't going to 'do the trick!'  So I stopped, took the stance of a Baseball Pitcher on a pitching mound, mimicked the baseball in my hands, took a step back and mimicked tossing the baseball across the produce section.  The woman freely laughed out loud and smiled!

Just then, her husband came over to her with another produce find, and she rapidly started to tell him the wonderful story!  I could tell the language was Spanish.  It was wonderful to see and hear the animated conversation she had with her husband!  She was showing him how she had bounced the cabbage in her hand, how I had noticed, and how I had 'said' that it looked like she was ready to toss the cabbage from a pitching mound!

What can I say?  Who needs verbal language?  Are there barriers in communication, or aren't there? Where there is a will, there is a way!  I say!  It's all in how you see it! Why not from a PHresh Outlook?  *smile

As for this moment in time, it PRODUCED a wonderful outcome in the PRODUCE department.  Punny, isn't it?

I say PRICELESS!   Now get out there and PLAY BALL! ... uh, I mean COMMUNICATE!

But wait! There's more! Not only did the hawk soar, but a little black bird was in chase! This was no ordinary blackbird. I soon renamed it YODA Blackbird! This bird speedily flapped its wings and nipped at each of the hawk's wings as it flew. It wouldn't let up. It was a bird on a mission!

I assumed the hawk had picked the wong nest or offspring to target! YODA Blackbird persistently flapped and fluttered its wings, in chase of the hawk as if to say: 'Take THAT and THAT!'

This activity continued for at least a few houses farther up the road. The hawk decided to 'wait it out' by sitting atop a power poll. You would think this would have satisfied the blackbird, but NO!

YODA Blackbird went into YODA-like maneuvers! YODA Blackbird flew higher into the sky in sweeping motions and swooped back down towards the hawk! Up into the air, and down again, over and over! I watched in AH! Mazement (that's more than amazement!) and awe! The hawk had to finally take flight to get away. Did the activity stop there? NO! YODA Blackbird continued its chase of flapping, fluttering and nipping the hawks wings!

I had to shake my head and laugh out loud at the words that would have been coming from this bird if it spoke my language: '...and don't you EVER think about coming back into this area again! You'll have ME to deal with!'

So, do you feel you're not enough? Take a lesson from YODA Blackbird, and get in touch with your inner-strength and knowing. It's all in how you see and feel about yourself. Let go of the peer pressure. Focus on your inner gifts, and SOAR!