There are some moments in life that are completely unexpected, but they occur and take you by surprise. In contrast, there are times in life when you expect something to happen and you believe it will happen with me, but it doesn't. This is the universe's universal behaviour, which is both expected and unexpected.

Today's post will focus on the topic mentioned by @beeber, THE UNEXPECTED. Whenever I hear the word unexpected, I recall a story about a friend who got stuck at sea on their way to Australia. They had left Jakarta to travel by sea, but they were unaware of the difficulties they would face on the ship. In short, they were stranded in the middle of the sea by a storm. Their boat was about to sink and they were helpless; there was no one to help them, but they asked God for help, and an unknown power saved them.

Before we begin our discussion, I'd like to share two quotes that I find very appealing.

God can cause opportunity to find you. He has unexpected blessings where you suddenly meet the right person, or suddenly your health improves, or suddenly you're able to pay off your house. That's God shifting things in your favor.

Joel Osteen

Sometimes life takes you on unexpected paths, and those paths aren't always in the same direction.

Jonathan Scott

I'll tell you about my unexpected journey in 2015, which was a very unexpected moment for me. Many of you are aware of the Holy Karbala and the pilgrimage; we believe that only the fortunate and good are invited on this journey, which is a journey of spirit and belief. This location is in the city of Iraq, where there is always a large crowd of people coming from various countries to pay their pilgrimage.

Arbaen is the time of year when a large crowd gathers in this location, estimated to be between 20 and 40 million people for the Pilgirmage. I believe this is the world's second largest gathering, with people from all over the world coming to pay their respects to the Holy Karbala. In 2015, my friends and I were also a part of this journey. We live in Pakistan, and Iraq, which is nearly 2300 kilometres away, is a long way away.

People begin their journey on buses, and the number of buses that begin their journey exceeds 200. Around 10000 passengers begin their journey across two countries to arrive at this location. What makes this journey unusual? It was the day when my friends were collecting their passports for the pilgrimage, but my passport was with the FIA for some reason at the time.

I asked them to please provide my passport because I had a long journey ahead of me, but they flatly refused, leaving me sad and disappointed. As a result, all friends submitted their passports and began travel preparations, and the visa system was closed due to overcrowding. I was left alone and assumed I must have missed this trip and that I must be among the unlucky people. I had nothing to do at the time, so I began crying and praying to God to help me and open my way.

There were only a few days until the Caravan's departure when the FIA suddenly released my passport and it was in my hands. At the time, I was stunned and couldn't believe it was my passport. The unexpected happened, and I went to the Travel Office to pick up my passport, and they said we will try to collect your passport and send it for visa. Everything was going well, and I received Vissa, which was the happiest moment of my life.

In this manner, I joined the travellers with my friend and completed my pilgirmage. This is how we should always expect everything, including the unexpected. I've shared a few photos from my trip to Iraq and while I was there. This is a short account of an unexpected journey in 2015 that will live on in my memory.

This is my contribution to the weekly ecency discord topic, and I hope you enjoyed my unexpected journey as well as the story. I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I did, and please leave your feedback in the comments section so that the next post can be even better. Thank you for sticking with me until the end.

Summary: We should prepare for the unexpected and hope for the best. Life may not be easy, but you must do your best and leave the rest to God.