The Wheel That Keeps Turning

M Mehran

In the heart of a small town, there stood an old blacksmith’s shop. Its roof sagged under the weight of decades, its walls were chipped, but at the center of it all was something remarkable: a giant wooden wheel that had hung above the entrance for as long as anyone could remember.

Children grew up asking about it, but no one seemed to know its true story. Some said it once belonged to a farmer’s cart that carried grain to market. Others swore it was part of a mill that had ground flour for the town during its early days. Whatever its origin, the wheel became a silent witness to the passing of time.


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A Boy and the Wheel

When Daniel was a boy, he often passed the blacksmith’s shop on his way to school. The wheel fascinated him. It wasn’t just wood and iron to him—it was a symbol of motion, of journeys taken, of destinations reached. He would stop, stare at it, and imagine the stories it might tell if it could speak.

His grandfather noticed his curiosity one day. “That wheel,” he said, “is a reminder that life keeps moving. No matter how hard things get, the wheel keeps turning.”

At the time, Daniel didn’t fully understand. But the words stayed with him.


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The First Turn

Years later, when Daniel was a teenager, his grandfather passed away. The loss hit him hard. For weeks, he felt stuck, unable to focus on school or friends. One afternoon, he found himself standing in front of the blacksmith’s shop again, staring at the old wheel.

He remembered his grandfather’s words. Life keeps moving.

And for the first time since the funeral, Daniel allowed himself to cry. Not because he was weak, but because he realized grief was part of the turning wheel too.


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Struggles and Spins

Life carried Daniel far from his small town. He went to college in the city, took a job in finance, and worked long hours. On paper, he was successful. But inside, he felt unbalanced.

He thought of the wheel often—how it represented both progress and repetition. Some days, he felt like he was moving forward. Other days, he felt trapped in circles, repeating the same routine with no end in sight.

During his toughest times, like when he lost his job during an economic downturn, he remembered the wheel again. No matter how hard things get, the wheel keeps turning. That thought kept him from giving up.


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Returning Home

Years later, Daniel returned to his hometown for a visit. The blacksmith’s shop was long closed, its doors sealed shut, but the wheel still hung proudly. Its wood was cracked, its iron rusted, yet it remained strong.

He stood there for a long time, memories flooding back—his childhood fascination, his grandfather’s wisdom, his teenage grief. It struck him that the wheel was not just about moving forward, but also about returning, about cycles of life that brought people back to where they began.


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A Symbol for the Town

Daniel wasn’t the only one who saw meaning in the wheel. When the town council later decided to restore historic landmarks, the wheel became a central symbol. It was polished, preserved, and displayed in the town square.

At the unveiling ceremony, Daniel was asked to speak. He shared his grandfather’s words with the crowd:

“No matter how hard things get, the wheel keeps turning.”

The people nodded, some with tears in their eyes, because they too had faced hardships—loss, financial struggles, illnesses, dreams delayed. And yet, they were still here. Still moving. Still turning.


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The Lesson of the Wheel

The wheel is one of humanity’s oldest inventions. It carries us across distances, powers our machines, spins our days into nights. But it’s also a metaphor. It reminds us that life isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes it feels like we’re moving in circles, sometimes we’re rolling downhill, sometimes we’re climbing uphill.

But always, always, the wheel turns.

Daniel, now older and wiser, often tells his own children: “When you feel stuck, when you feel like you can’t keep going, remember the wheel. Even when it slows down, it never truly stops. And neither should you.”


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Closing Thoughts

The wheel above the blacksmith’s shop may no longer spin, but its meaning endures. For a small town, it became a piece of history. For Daniel, it became a lifelong reminder of resilience.

Life is not about avoiding the bumps in the road—it’s about learning to keep rolling through them. Because just like that old wheel, we are built to keep turning, no matter how rough the journey.