You CAN make a difference

At some point we all feel like little fish in a huge pond; a skinny needle in a huge haystack; a tiny speck of dust in a great world full of dirt. But no matter how insignificant we may seem in a world populated by 6 billion other humans, we must remember that even one person can make a difference.

I learned it from my mom: When a company does you wrong, you no longer support said company. Be it the Sears empire or the local grocery store, when they cannot fix your dishwasher after 52 attempts or wrongly accuse you of stealing a 24-pack of Diet Coke, you hit them where it counts: the pocketbook.

I have successfully implemented this valuable lesson in my own life. When SBC charged me ridiculous long-distance fees and screwed up my bill time after time, I went on an anti-SBC rampage for months. Ever since a couch purchase at Nebraska Furniture Mart turned into a 3-month ordeal, I have refused to set foot in the store. And because the cook downstairs at my office deli is just plain MEAN, I have joined forces with a work friend to boycott it completely. The cook’s offenses? Let me make a list. I ask for regular, non-Texas-sized toast, she gives me Texas-sized toast. I want to buy at juice at 7:30 (when she opens) she sighs and says, “I GUESS I can do that.” She “forgot” Jenn’s credit from a partially used gift certificate and thus stole her lunch money. She didn’t let us get soda at 7:28 because two minutes to her makes a huge difference. She scowls, intimidates and in general exudes Soup Nazi-ish behavior.

The big news came on Monday: The deli will no longer be in operation as of Dec. 21. I like to think my few dollars here and there made a difference. And by the way, the local grocery has shut down, Sears has merged with Kmart, and now the deli has closed. Coincidence? I think not.