Alex's room was filled with packed boxes, labeled with a marker: "Kitchen," "Books," "Clothes." In three days, he would board a flight to a new city for a job he had been dreaming of.

The moment he got the offer, he was so excited he couldn't sleep all night. But as the departure date drew closer, that initial thrill was slowly being consumed by an indescribable fear.

He would be all alone there, without a single friend. He was used to his weekend hangouts with his old buddies, used to the ramen shop he'd been going to for five years. Now, all of that was about to be reset to zero.

"Will I get used to the climate? Will I make new friends? What if I get lonely?"

These questions haunted him like ghosts. He started picturing himself eating takeout alone in a new apartment, with the unfamiliar city lights twinkling outside, none of them shining for him. The thought sent a wave of panic through him.

He even began to doubt his decision. Was it really worth giving up everything familiar here for a job opportunity?

In his moment of wavering, he stumbled upon an ad for an online divination tool. The tagline was: "For the lost you, a new perspective to see the future." He clicked on it, thinking he might as well give it a shot.

On the simple webpage, he typed his worries: "I'm about to move to a new city and I'm scared and lonely about the future. What should I do?"

The result was "Da An" (Great Peace). A stable and auspicious word. He read on, curious:

"A tree thrives when moved; a person prospers when they relocate. What you fear is the pain of 'losing,' not the difficulty of 'gaining.' Old memories won't disappear, and new stories are waiting to be written. Do not see yourself as an isolated island, but as a seed. Wherever you land, if you carry sunlight in your heart, you can take root, sprout, and eventually become an oasis."

"Do not see yourself as an isolated island, but as a seed..." The metaphor struck Alex deeply.

He had been seeing himself as an uprooted 'island' thrown into a strange environment, which is why he felt so lonely and scared. But what if he saw himself as a 'seed'? A seed is meant to travel to new lands. Its mission is to take root, to grow, and to create its own landscape.

This shift in perspective instantly dissolved most of his fear. He stopped dwelling on what he would 'lose' and started looking forward to what he would 'create.'

He opened his laptop and began researching the new city. He found several local hiking clubs and photography groups. He bookmarked a cool-looking jazz bar. He even found an online community dedicated to helping newcomers.

He realized he wasn't heading to a deserted island, but to a new continent waiting to be explored.

The night before he left, he said goodbye to his old friends. Though they were sad to see him go, they were mostly happy and excited for him. "Now we have a base in the south!" they joked.

Sitting on the plane to his new life, watching the ever-changing clouds outside the window, Alex felt a sense of peace and anticipation. He knew there would be challenges ahead, but he was no longer afraid.

Because he wasn't an island. He was a seed, ready to embrace the new soil.