His name is

Shaun. He is only one person. And still a teenager. But

he's a making a difference.

He has restored my faith in

a major computer store. No small feat!

Several months ago I had

sworn I'd never step foot in the store again. That was

after spending thousands of dollars there over several

years. I was very happy with the company for a long time,

then suddenly I could get no assistance when I went in. I

was treated rudely several times.

When I would call the store

I would never be able to access a human being. It

appeared that I was routed to voice mail at their

national headquarters on several occasions. Of course, if

everybody was as unhappy as I had become I could

understand why they would not want to talk to us.

I decided if I had to deal

with that kind of service I'd just order from a catalog.

And guess what? With my first order I was able to talk

immediately to a person. A knowledgeable person. A

friendly person. And after several orders - probably

seven or eight to date - I have had not one single

complaint. Awesome.

Then I develop a problem

with a computer that is still under warranty at the store

I've sworn to avoid. I did not call the store

immediately. I called work associates and friends who I

hoped would be able to help me figure out what to do. All

said they understand my predicament and my frustrations

about having to call the store where the warranty had

been purchased. They too were dissatisfied with the

store. Different locations, mind you, but the same chain.

But call the store I did. I

felt I had no other option in light of the problem I was

facing that day. And Shaun answers the phone. A real

person. Almost unbelievable. And knowledgeable. Eager to

help. Nice.

I spent most of the

afternoon at the store with Shaun while he addressed the

immediate problem at hand. When I left at 5:30 I had a CD

in hand with the August issue of The Focus on it. I had

been unable to save the magazine off the hard drive so I

could get it to the printer. We were already behind

schedule and I was more than a little bit irritated with

today's technology and my limited understanding of it.

On Wednesday, when I

returned to the store to retrieve my repaired computer I

pressed Shaun for some background information. I wanted

to know how he had attained such poise at such an early

age.

He's 17 years old and

already knows more about computers than I ever hope to

know. When he was a kid, "Nightrider" was his

favorite television show. Remember that awesome

computerized car? Recall how the main character was

always helping people. Always in control. Even-tempered.

Helpful. Shaun thinks that's when his interest in

computer technology was sparked.

Was a television hero also

to be given credit for the character and maturity I was

observing? Partially. But he talked on. And guess what?

The influence of his parents surfaced to eventually

outshine all others. He spoke of how they have been there

for him, nurturing, caring, offering guidance.

"Oh, I get mad at my

folks sometimes, but they are there for me and I

appreciate them," he said. (I do, too!) Shaun also

spoke well of his co-workers, especially Glen, a

supervisor and mentor who took him under his wing a while

back. The team spirit came into play as we talked.

Maybe there is hope for

what used to be my favorite computer store. I will give

it another chance. Why? Because no matter how convenient

shopping by mail, phone or through the internet may be,

the truth is I still prefer human contact. I like real

people in front of me when I'm making a purchase.

Knowledgeable people with smiles on their faces. I prefer

to see what I'm buying before I make the purchase. Feel

it. Watch it demonstrated. Gain some degree of

understanding about how it works.

Do I expect too much? I had

begun to think so. Until I met Shaun, that is. One person

really can make a difference, you know. And you and I

would do well to realize that, to remind ourselves of the

fact every morning. Our influence is out there.

Like it or not, we are

making a difference every day for good or bad. The choice

is ours.