Yesterday morning my email account was hijacked.  Everyone in my address book and many people who had sent me  or were copied on emails received hoax emails (some people received 7 emails throughout the day) telling of my dire circumstances.  I received hundreds of bounce backs myself – they maxed out my inbox. The email recounted my horrible experience in London – I was mugged and held at knifepoint, had no money and had cancelled all my credit cards!  The email ended by requesting financial help.

The good news, I was at home in sunny South Florida enjoying a lovely day (until all email-hell broke loose).  More good news, the problem appears to have been resolved.  The best news, there are a lot of wonderful people in the world.  Many of them living the Inconvenience Yourself™ concept every day.  How do I know?  I was astonished at the phone calls and emails I began receiving before 9am and continued receiving for the next 12 hours.  Several people got in touch with me to let me know I had an email problem.  Many more contacted me to make sure I was OK.  A few of those were actually trying to figure out how they could send me money to help me out of my unfortunate circumstances!  One friend was travelling in the Philippines, where it was 1:15am, and he got up and immediately called to make sure I was OK.  I also heard from a friend who has moved to Germany (which was news to me yesterday).  I communicated with many people I hadn’t talked to in quite a while.

On top of that, family and friends jumped to make phone calls or email others to let them know there was nothing to be concerned about!  There are many Inconvenience Yourself™ examples in what happened to me yesterday. 

The goodness in people turned what was a horrible, time-consuming experience into a day of reconnecting.  Not so bad after all.  It was a good reminder of how many wonderful people I have in my life.

In the spring of 1989 I found a small college class ring from Florida State University outside of a local credit union. The security guard inside was reluctant to take the ring since it wasn’t found on their property. I took it home with me and was determined to find the owner. Upon close examination I could see a name etched on the inside of the ring, but could not quite make out the last name. At my next visit to the credit union I inquired about any assistance they might be able to provide about customers with matching names. They were unwilling to help in my quest to return the ring. I continued to think of ways to track down the owner of the ring. As the years went by I thought about the ring less and less until I forgot about it altogether.
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During a blizzard, Cleveland (Ohio) imposed a parking ban. I had no where close to park my car as my house had no garage or even a driveway. My neighbor moved his car into his garage (where he rarely parks) and offered his driveway space to me. This saved me having to trek several blocks in the snow to find another place to park.

Ann
Cleveland, OH

As a small business owner, I often need to impose on family, friends and other entrepreneurs for feedback on ideas. The bookmarks have proved to be the perfect expression of my gratitude for several people who have gone out of their way to help me and contributed to my business success. The recipients of the bookmarks have been pleasantly surprised with the small token of appreciation for their help. Several have called me to let me know the sentiment made them smile.

Anonymous
Plantation, FL

My sister and I had just been shopping at a local “big box” store. As we approached our car, someone parked a couple of spaces away finished unloading their cart into the trunk of their car. He then moved the empty cart out from behind his car – into the only nearby empty handicapped parking space. A few more steps and the cart could have been placed in the “cart return” area, leaving the handicapped space available. My sister walked over to the cart and moved it to the cart return area.

Anonymous
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

During the heat of the summer, my grandson had a baseball game and I went to watch and pick him up after the game. As the game ended, a woman who lived in the neighborhood, who did not have a child on the team, came out and provided popsicles to hot and sweaty kids. I reached into my purse and handed an Inconvenience Yourself™ bookmark to my grandson who then thanked the “popsicle lady” with the bookmark.

Anonymous
Lexington, KY

I want to thank you for the bookmarks which have already come in handy! Yesterday I had to turn away an elderly couple who were wheelchair bound because they were not members of the Club (an airline club) and chose not to pay the daily fee. As I was assisting them, out a customer who was on his way in asked me if the couple could be his guests. I told him that he would incur a $50 charge on his Priority Pass membership and he replied “That’s OK…someone might do the same for my parents someday.” I can’t tell you how amazed the couple were by this random act of kindness and by the time everyone left new friends were made. It was a real pleasure for me to be able to give a bookmark to Mr. English. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity!

Jim
Ft. Lauderdale, FL