Your Fellow Human

Have you ever heard that “the measure of someone’s character is how they treat those who have nothing to offer them” well what would it look like to be that person? Have you ever experienced being treated poorly or with greater esteem because someone wanted something from you or because you didn’t have anything to offer them?

Today I want to introduce you to Ali, I have known Ali for 4 years now and from the first time I wandered into his shop until now I have not only experienced this but also witnessed how he genuinely treats every person that comes through his door with the same value.

In his own words, “my goal is that people would go out of my shop with happiness

I simply wonder what a world would look like if we all approached each day, “wishing people left time with us happier?”

This is a conversation I know has impacted me and one I’m excited and honored to share with you all

Ali shares with me why he is someone who loves humans, why he has taken the time to learn different languages to connect better with others, and why being a good father and a good husband is what he is most proud of

We chat about his soccer teams recent win, how Turks are not Arabs, what it would be like to live in a world without war, and how the most difficult thing he’s done is something I am sure I will never accomplish

He shares how his time living in the United States changed him and the way he does business, why he doesn’t negotiate but instead deeply values running his shop with integrity and genuine connection 

I have been back to Cappadocia 5 times now and visiting Ali, sitting over a tea or a beer, hearing how life is, is one of the things that makes this place so special

Ali is one that will greet you with a smile, one that shares practically what it looks like in his life to show others they hold value, and one that I know is worth learning more about

So tune in today and meet Ali, and I hope if it inspires you to visit Cappadocia, make sure you go tell him I say hi

And to you Ali thank you, thank you for sharing your time over the years, for the honor of getting to call you a friend, for the way you have cared for everyone I have brought into your shop, for the genuine and warmth that you have always welcomed me with, and your sparkling personality. You are a fabulous human choosing to leave people better than you found them and I’m grateful to know you