looking up at the bergen line 9:57 to port jervis, track h, train 0045, first stop rutherford, second stop broadway.
bringing me back to last summer.
but here’s to even bigger and better things in summer 2012, looking forward to all the memories.

Elf the movie drinking game. Needless to say, we didn’t get through the movie..

today i felt happy just sitting in the park with you.

it’s funny you say that because wanna know something?

you make the mosquito bites up and down my arm completely worth it.

but wanna know something else?

over the course of the past year together, i’ve learned so much. about you and more importantly, myself. we’ve both taught each other so much as we went through all these highs and lows.

you’re the one who makes sure i’m doing okay. it doesn’t really matter what it might be, it could be the smallest thing. but you’re always asking, making sure that i’ll be okay. it’s pretty awesome, knowing that there’s someone always there. and for the record, i’ll be always there just like you are.

somehow, you manage to put a smile on my face. the crazy thing is, you really don’t even try. it could be something small like just flashing one of your smiles. or it could be something bigger like hitting me with a pillow. or even throwing a stuffed hedgehog at me.

after this crazy year, and to be honest, with our fair share of mini breakdowns, we got through it together. and now where are we? we’ve got this summer together. no worries, just the sun and good times ahead. and you know what? all these good times? here’s to them in the upcoming year.

so thank you polina for all that you’ve done for me. you’ve helped me through so much and i’m so grateful. and i’m just gonna keep on trying be the kinda guy worth all of this.

like i said, you make all these mosquito bites completely worth it.

p.s. i guess i can use some more socks.

now that i’m home and totally settled in. it’s time to reflect. this year has been crazy to say the least. there were points during which i thought that maybe life was gonna get the best of me. the scoreboard, in my book, had always been.. harnsowl: 19, life: 0. it really would have been a shame for me to lose that perfect record. plus 20-0 sounds nice.

but a funny thing happened, whenever i was just about ready to wave that white flag. people always seemed pick me up. and it wasn’t just the people i would hang out with on an every day basis. there were people i would see here and there, but they would always have a smile on, making sure things were going okay, and if they weren’t, letting me know everything was going to be okay. then of course there were those who made it their mission to get to the root of a problem and try to fix it. they would make whatever problems i might have been having their own because that’s just how much they cared.

that’s when i realized something amazing. between all those heartfelt conversations and teary nights, i asked myself how could i possibly lose with all these people who have my well-being in mind beside me? they could have just moved on with their lives, without noticing anything being wrong. but they didn’t. and for that i’m grateful to have these people in my life. and to go to a place like cooper, where we all have each other’s back and pick each other up. i can’t imagine being any other place with anyone else. 

to me, this year just as much about me as it was about everyone else. i realized just how amazing everyone i go to school with actually is. this is my thank you to those people because the impact they all had in me really saved my butt. i hope i’ll be as good a friend to everyone as they were to me.

in the midst of finals week,

when everything seems to pile on top of each other

when it all overwhelms you

when you feel a little bit out of whack

curling up with a book, really does do the trick.

achangeofpace.amberpacific.alltimelow.yellowcard.thestartingline.anberlin.lostprophets.relientk.redjumpsuitapparatus.wethekings.riseagainst.hitthelights.valencia.cartel.

listening to songs that i would have in middle school and high school.

singing along like all the songs are about my life, still, like i haven’t aged a day.

it’s a throwback i can get used to.

…to bring the sparkle back into people’s eyes.

the sparkle that says everything’s gonna be okay.

that everything works itself out in the end.

because with that sparkle comes a smile.

and it’s a contagious smile that just spreads and spreads.

it’s a smile backed by hope and friends and family and love.

it’s a smile and sparkle that everyone should have.

because through the good times and the bad, it’s the belief that keeps us going.

and everyone deserves it, the motor to persevere.

and i want to play a role in that.

i want to help bring that back to anyone and everyone i meet.

honestly, who couldn’t use a smile, hug, and a quick little talk on a cold, dreary day to brighten it up even just a tad?

sometimes the smallest things are what make the difference.

-harnsowl