Another day...another dollar

I'm slowly recovering from being 'stranded' in London. I had to change my passwords in several email accounts and sent out dozens of notes to encourage others to do the same. I've learned a few things since the scam notice went out to send funds for my rescue. First, people are unpredictable. Friends who I hadn't heard from in a long time, decided they should at least contact me but made it clear money wasn't on the way. A long lost brother who blacklisted me from his communication network inquired as to my exact location but didn't offer to 'help'. Hmmm...wonder about his ulterior motive... And then a few people in my 'groups' network offered to help anyway they could. Love their blind faith. Most of those glad-to-helpers were from the writing community. Money is scarce for those struggling to sell their first book. Ahh..but I know they are more savvy and knew the 'send funds' message was a scam. So they were playing it safe. I couldn't help but love each and every message...even the ones indicating they didn't mind if I were 'stranded' for a long time. (Just a couple.) It made my day even more interesting. A German friend figured out the phone number didn't jive...not a London exchange...smart lady. Another friend called the scammer and asked the names of my dogs to verfiy my needs. Smart like a fox. Another friend said she knew it was a scam because I knew she never had extra money. The second lesson out of this is that one should never discount what a near or far friend might or might not do for you. Third lesson is don't trust the internet. At least be diligent about saving info, deleting email addresses that are no longer pertinent to your business or friend list. Fourth is, there's only a few people in the world you can truly trust. Whether its for rescue or not. One gal who always totes the message that you do anything/everything for a friend, didn't bother to comment. The ones who are trustworthy, would come to your rescue, might surprise you...the ones who don't might surprise you. There are no certainities in life. Best to play it safe and rely on your own wit whether it be with friends, family or aquaintances. Cheers, Wil