#askshwe

[shwezin]

I still felt compelled to let you know how awesome a complete stranger thinks you are. It’s cliche to say, but still very obviously true: the world is lucky to have people like you. You might never truly understand or realize how special and valuable of a person you are. But strangers can see it. I hope you can devote some time to self care this weekend 😊

This is so, so kind. And made me feel all warm and happy inside. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to make my day. I'm staying strong :) Despite all the stress, I really am stoked about everything I'm learning and how much closer I feel to my goals because of it. Thank you thank you. Messages like this keeps me going.

[shwezin]

Having been ‘casually’ pro-Democracy in Myanmar but without being very knowledgeable, I found it incredibly eye-opening, educational and moving to read your perspective, learn from you, and feel your emotions on such a depressing, horrifying and urgent yet neglected crisis. You’re clearly a very special and amazing person who has a wonderful and bright future ahead of them. And while I know a rough stretch at start of nursing school won’t derail you, I still felt compelled to let you know how

[shwezin]

So sorry to see you experiencing so much stress while sacrificing for something you’re passionate about. But the emotions you’re feeling are exactly why you’re going to be such a great nurse and be able to help so many people. We’ve never met but I was drawn to your outdoorsy and wanderlust spirit that showed through on tinder a while back, and then became mesmerized by how raw, fresh, insightful and powerful your blog posts were (after checking out your Instagram). Having been ‘casually’ pro-

[shwezin]

How do you know you’re in love with someone? What did you feel, and what situation reinforce or help you realize those feelings?

Oh man. The first time I felt this in my last relationship, I woke up wanting to shout it out to the whole universe. I felt it all throughout my body. Similar to when you are so angry, all you feel is anger in every part of your body and all you see is red? Except it’s love, and it makes you feel warm all over. It was the wildest feeling. He had told me he loved me a few weeks prior, and I wasn’t quite there yet. Here’s how I can best describe what happened: it was as if the feelings were brewing inside of my stomach for sometime, and on a random early morning around 7 am, it bubbled up to my chest, then out my mouth. It literally woke me up from my sleep. The first thing I muttered to him still half asleep were the words I love you. As if those words, those feelings had a mind of their own and jumped out of me. Nothing could’ve stopped it. Short answer: I just knew. There was no questioning about it, no doubts. And for some weird reason, I wanted to tell everyone about it (maybe this is only true because the feelings were mutual).

A situation that reinforced these feelings were when things got difficult (hard conversations, miscommunications, feeling under appreciated/undervalued, unmet needs, etc) and it became hard to love him in the moment, the “in love” feeling overshadowed any negative emotions I had toward him. In other words, I knew I was in love with him because I loved him despite how much I disliked him in that moment.

Other ways I knew I was in love/situations that helped me realize:

Catching myself smiling throughout the day when I think of him

Genuinely wanting to know how he is doing/feeling

Wanting to provide anything and everything for him

Knowing I can be completely myself around him and still be adored

Wanting to share all the happy experiences with him

Seeing him interact with my friends, family, people in general

Feeling completely safe and at peace when he is around

Having fun doing absolutely nothing with him

Being reminded of him with every love song and every romantic film

[shwezin]

Hi Shwezin, I’d love to have a conversation with you how you are so extraordinary! I have a daughter and I have always brought her places and done everything with her to encourage her. She now older and on the right path but I want more for her before I can’t help and encourage her.

I'd love to have a conversation with you! Feel free to message me on Facebook if we're Facebook friends :)

I personally think the best thing my mom did for me was love me unconditionally and believe in me.

[shwezin]

You're a beautiful human. I mean this in the most non-creepy way that I can mean it 😅. I'm trying to say that while I'm not pining for you or anything, I just see you every once in a while and smile when I do. It's so uncommon to see someone so tenaciously pursuing the best version of themself, and speaking so openly about the things on their mind. Please understand wholesomely that I love who you are, and I'm even jealous of how you continue to grow. I feel like my improvements in maturity always come at the cost of major mistakes that I make. We can't sit here and feel sorry for shitty people doing shitty things, but it's difficult to improve and become better when your shitty actions are a black stain in your past that you will never be able to ignore or forget. I guess what I'm saying is this: If I am to believe that I am a better person now, I can only continue to feel worse about myself. A person does not always deserve the forgiveness of others, but is forgiving oneself possible in these situations? Agregious offenders can't move on without receding into anonymity and keeping their head completely out of the business of those they hurt, but will they continue to feel that way? Forever? Do the offenders of even the worst crimes deserve to keep feeling shitty?

This was a rant, and I'm sorry for that. Have you ever made a mistake that you can't shake? Do you think the constant reminders and guilt are deserved? I'm asking you because I just know you're thoughtful and true, and your inspiring growth through the years makes me long for more in myself.

This is one of the kindest things anyone's ever said to me.

I've been having a hard time lately, this message means more than you know. Thank you for reaching out.

I mean this wholeheartedly as well -- every single one of us deserves the forgiveness of others, especially one from yourself. No one is free of actions that have hurt others. It's part of the human condition. The only way forward is to sincerely apologize for those actions, and forgive yourself. You deserve to live a full, loving life regardless of your past mistakes. Not because you are any special, but because you are human.

Yes, there are many. And I do not believe the constant reminders and guilt is deserved. Something that comes with growth is realizing that so many of our mistakes are made when we do not know ourselves fully. Think about the people that have hurt you. Do you forgive them? Do they deserve to be forgiven? There are people that have hurt me that I never thought I would be able to forgive. But after realizing how much of their actions came from not knowing themselves enough, or dealing with their own pain, I forgave. I hope that they've forgiven themselves too. You can either carry the weight of your mistakes and let them weigh you down or use it to build you up and be a better person.

[shwezin]

What kind of people have you met in college? You can give them fake names if it makes the story more interesting

I’ve thought about this question for the past few days. I can break it down into three categories. I’ve met the Douchebag, the Soulmates, and the Wise Mentors. The Douchebag allowed me a taste of reality and pulled me out of my naive, perfect little vision of the world. The Soulmates continue to give me hope that there are my people out there: people who fill me up with so much love and laughter to last me a lifetime. The Wise Mentors have guided me to continue pursuing my truths and my ambitions. To answer your question simply, I have met a lot of damn good people in college.

[shwezin]

Hi Zin, can you tell us who has impacted you most in blogging and how?

Hello :)Hmm..I am not sure that I can say any one person has impacted me most in blogging. I have always journaled, for as long as I can remember. I do remember the reason why I decided to make these writings public. I kept having these epiphanies that I would write about -- about myself, love, life, and everything in between. And I would stumble upon a similar idea in a book I was reading, or a blog online, and in a way, it validated my writings. It made me feel like what I had to say was worth reading after all. And receiving encouraging words from friends and anonymous readers makes me excited to write more and share more. To answer your question, everyone in my life has impacted me one way or the other in writing. In blogging, it is definitely those friends and family that took the time out of their day to tell me they like my writing. I’m not sure if I answered your question? Please let me know if not, and I will try again haha.