One of my favorite moments is when my family and relatives plan a vacation together. It starts with the classic debate: which beach to visit, what food to bring, and who’s going to be the designated driver (sorry, Uncle). Then comes the fun part shopping for chips and swimwear like it’s a national event.
But the best part? When we’re finally packed into the van, all the cousins teasing each other, singing loudly with zero pitch control, just pure joy. As we drive, I love looking out the window clouds touching the tips of perfectly shaped mountains, cows grazing on endless green grass, fresh air rushing past.
I live in the city, so I don’t always get to see views like that. And when I do, I make sure to soak it in every laugh, every breeze, every silly out-of-tune chorus. I make sure to be present.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” — Matthew 6:34
We worry about everything. Money. Jobs. Bills. What people think. Where our lives are headed. Whether we’ll ever get the things we’re longing for. (Or in my case, whether I’ll ever get a husband. Yes, I’m single — waving at all the single guys out there. 👋)
And for parents? Add a few more layers of worry — spouses, kids, school fees, and why the electricity bill suddenly looks like it was written in Greek.
Let me tell you a story from my early days in the UAE. Spoiler: it includes heat, humility, near-starvation, and one small miracle with a side of dates.
Welcome to RAK, the Budget Adventure Package
I loved my life in the UAE. The desert safaris, the food, the stunning buildings, and friendships with people from all over the world — it felt like a movie. But here’s the truth: even the best movies have a few horror scenes.
One day, my company decided to transfer me from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah (RAK). I was nervous, sure — I didn’t know anyone there. But also excited… because I’m stubborn like that. ✨New experience! ✨No backup plan! ✨What could go wrong!
Well. Let’s talk about the part where I only had 20 dirhams to my name. Not 200. Not 2,000. Twenty.
And I had to:
Move to a new city
Pay rent in advance
Pay a carlift (no car!)
Exit the country soon (visa expiring, fun yaay!)
Eat food like a regular human
Mood? Full-blown panic. Budget? Spiritual Options? Cry, pray, or cry-while-praying.
Enter: The Unexpected Provision
My manager told me to go visit Al Hamra Mall before the move. It was new, bright, and weirdly empty. Retailers were chilling outside their stores like it was their front porch.
There, I met a woman — let’s call her M. We started chatting and I told her I’d be moving to RAK but didn’t have a place yet.
And then… she offered me a place to stay. No advance rent. Just, “You can live with us.”
She even let me crash that same day and cooked for me. Hot. Cooked. Food. Reader, I almost cried on her plate.
Ramadan & the 20 Dirham Diet
Then came the real test. Ramadan started. I had no money. The carlift driver kept asking for his fare and I kept pretending I didn’t hear him. (Sorry, Mohamed. God bless your patience.)
But he kept picking me up anyway. Problem #2 solved.
Food? I pretended I was fasting. I’m Catholic, but I used the season to embrace spiritual minimalism (aka, I was broke).
Local people gave out dates and water at sunset — that became dinner. And then, M noticed… and started feeding me lunch and dinner.
And then — family to the rescue. One of my cousins from Dubai showed up out of nowhere with bags of groceries. She said she had a gut feeling I was starving.
“Turns out God has a way of whispering into your cousin’s heart mid-grocery run.”
One by one, God crossed off every worry I had — housing, transport, food — with quiet, gentle kindness.
And Then Joy Walked In
That season taught me that Matthew 6:34 is real. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Not because tomorrow is magical — But because God already lives there.
Anxiety makes you spiral. It clutters your mind like tangled wires. It keeps you up at night rehearsing disasters that never come. But joy? Joy shows up with 20 dirhams and no plan… and still believes something good will happen.
I still feel anxious, of course. I’m human. But now, I don’t let anxiety drive the car. I acknowledge her, let her sit in the back… and let Joy take the wheel.
Let Me Leave You With This
We still need to plan — don’t get me wrong. You can’t say “I want to be a pilot” and then not learn how to fly a plane. But what I’ve learned is this:
One by one, every need I was anxious about — housing, transport, food — was covered by kindness I didn’t see coming.
When you don’t have anything, trust God’s provision through the unexpected people He sends your way. Sometimes it’s not a miracle falling from the sky… sometimes it’s a carlift driver who keeps showing up even when you pretend you didn’t hear him.
Do not worry about tomorrow, He said and He meant it.
See you in the next story. Where the budget was tight, the visa was tighter… and somehow, I ended up in Iran. Not by choice, but definitely with emotion.
One small improvement I can make in my life is to live more in the present moment. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, and I often get lost in thoughts of what the future might look like, sometimes to the point where I forget to appreciate what’s happening right now. It’s normal to dream about the future, but when things don’t go as planned or don’t turn out the way we expect, it’s easy to feel discouraged. So, one change I’m working on is being more present. I’ve been taking time to enjoy the little things, like really smelling the coffee before I take a sip, savoring the body wash scent during a long bath, and appreciating the rain while listening to music. Petting my dog. “One moment at a time, one breath at a time”.
I’d love to experience being a fighter jet pilot. Just imagine soaring through the clouds, racing as fast as you can, with the world below you, completely detached from reality. Being in the sky, surrounded by nothing but clouds, is the ultimate sense of freedom and inspiration.
For me, freedom is being able to travel anywhere in the world without stressing about paper works or how much it’s going to cost. Just the idea of moving freely, without limits, that’s freedom to me.
Ember - Fire and Soul 