The Famous Meatball Maker

  

The Famous Meatball Maker

There were days when people would rush in and wait in line. It was unbelievable that such a small shopkeeper had hundreds of customers. Moreover, his shop was hidden in a side street. He had such a tiny signboard that only those who already knew the place could notice it. His counter was narrow as well. How had all these small details come together to make him so famous? Why had he become everyone’s first choice?

One couldn’t help but question this strange equation. There were so many restaurants—big, stylish, with long menus—trying to attract customers. They printed thousands of flyers and distributed them to every house in the neighborhood. They opened with great ambition, yet most would close within three to six months. The locals had witnessed this many times. What was it that kept these small, modest shops standing strong? There had to be a secret to this equation…

Those who noticed it should have explained its secret. Indeed, nothing was as it seemed. Trade had nothing to do with being on a corner location. This equation was about the abundance hidden in the little. Everyone should have known that the little could be more blessed than the much.

Closets overflowing with clothes yet people asking, “What should I wear tomorrow?”

Freezers full of food yet asking, “What should I cook today?”

People walking so much they end up with swollen feet, yet worrying, “Where should we go on vacation?”

The secret of this unknown equation—this scarcity within abundance—was hidden in divine abundance, the blessing. And blessing was not something measured in numbers.

Seeing this immeasurable blessing, people would say Uncle Mehmet could have been a teacher. He had become famous yet kept his humility. He had never tried to add more tables or enlarge the shop. He had no desire to add new varieties next to his meatballs. He simply aimed to present what he already had in the best way possible. He valued both his shop and everything inside it. He truly understood what it meant to give value. In that tiny shop, the best ingredients and the finest service were blended together. It was this blend that kept him standing for years.

Uncle Mehmet had studied in the school of life and educated himself well. He must have realized the truth and discovered how important and precious blessing was. In short, he was a wise, experienced man. Nobody usually went to a meatball shop early in the morning, yet he would leave home before dawn, open the shop, clean it, and get it ready.

The preparations starting before sunrise became orders as soon as the sun rose. The story of the famous meatball maker was the story of those who start the day early. “Whatever you labor for, the right of that labor will follow you,” he used to say. He lived the truth that “Those who begin early are supported” down to his bones.

During lunch break, students coming from school loved chatting with Uncle Mehmet. He asked a riddle every day and gave an extra meatball to whoever solved it. He saw the students like his own children. “If I don’t cheer them up here, they may look for joy in dangerous places,” he said with wisdom.

Such was the meatball maker of our neighborhood—Uncle Mehmet. To some he was like a father, to others a friend, and to some a mentor. He could understand what people needed from their eyes, their voices. He had formed a strong bond with everyone who came. It was as if those coming to his shop were not customers but members of his own family. He cared about their troubles and tried his best to help. Perhaps this was one of the secrets that kept him going.

In truth, the secret was simple…

What blesses a person’s income and relationships is the abundance hidden in the little—respecting and valuing what is small.

What the “much” doesn’t have is appreciating the little you have and making it even more valuable.

It was, in fact, sincerely meeting people’s needs…

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Yahya Hamurcu