Living with your best friend can either be a blessing or a curse. Thankfully, my experience living with one of my closest friends turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Here are the reasons why I think you should try living with your best friend:
1. Those nights that feel like you're in college again
In this society revolving around constantly working, you long for the days when you were in college and had all the time in the world. I can't tell you how much better some nights were, either going out to the bars or just sitting at home on a cold, winter day in Chicago with some hot chocolate and Legally Blonde playing in the background and just talking. You need those nights sometimes.
2. You encourage each other to try new things
I don't know how to ride a bike and my friend tried to teach me (I failed, by the way). I took a hot yoga class which is something I would never have done by myself. I took jobs I wouldn't have taken if not for my roommate. Having close friends and family in your life can be a motivator to get out of bed and try something new with each day. You won't regret it. You'll only regret not knowing.
3. You understand each other
Since we were so close in college, we knew about each other's past and how we've grown into who we are now. We also understood how we wanted the apartment to look and how to take care of the space so that the other person wouldn't be frustrated. I don't know about you, but I prefer to live in a household without passive-aggressive Post-It notes.
4. You're not strangers
Even if your situation does go south, at least you can try to make amends with the person. If you're already invested in a friendship, you're not just going to toss it away. Not if you're a decent friend, anyway. You try to make things work. If you're strangers, you just share a space together and don't really care about the other person. Having experienced both, it was much better being comfortable all the time in my home with someone I trusted.
5. You respect each other's space
Speaking of trust, we didn't have to worry about our roommates going through our things or having to fight over using the kitchen. We made room for each other if we needed to and if we needed to be alone, we respected that. It was that simple.
6. You can discuss your love life
This is probably one of the most humorous ones. The things you can't say to your parents, you can definitely say to your roommate, who also turns out to be your best friend. These are the conversations where you get to vent about what your boyfriends are doing that drives you crazy, knowing that they're all in good fun.
7. They're like the brother or sister you never had
I have friends in my life that feel more like family than some of my actual family members. I believe that's more of the norm today. I don't know where I would be without some of the people I have in my life. My former roomie, for sure, grew to be more of a sister I never had.
8. You always reach a common ground
If you're living with someone that you respect and know well, this makes any conversation with your roommate easier. This is how you talk things out. If you have an issue, then you're able to work through it without the situation blowing up in your face. It's the responsible and mature way to handle things.
9. You're there for each other
I'm not going to try and act like I'm a perfect roommate. No one is, really. There's no such thing. We made things work pretty well though. While we respected each other's space, we always made time for each other and checked in to see if we needed to talk. Sometimes, a simple hug was enough.
10. It feels like home
It always feels good to come home to another episode of Friends playing on the television or another candle that we are burning through. It's nice to not come home to an empty apartment. It feels great to have someone to talk about your day with when you get home because it makes you feel better. It feels like you finally have a place in your life where you can truly be yourself and relax. It feels like you've finally made it to a place you can call home.
