Somehow, you ended up on the bathroom floor. Well, not somehow—you know exactly how, you would just prefer not to admit to yourself that you’re sort of pathetic. Truth is, your over-worked and under-studied self was getting some nail polish from the cabinet under the sink, but your sleep-deprived bod just couldn’t take an upright position anymore, so you laid down on the floor and decided to scroll through your Instagram feed. Eventually, your eyes got tired too, so you closed them and dreamed of your bed—which was close, but still oh so far away.

Enter your roommate Gabby, bumping your foot with the door. You give her a sheepish, sleepy-eyed smile and extend a hand to her, and you laugh together as she hoists your exhausted body off the floor. It makes the moment less awkward, but there’s something else—as she pats you on the shoulder, you know she isn’t judging you (even though you’re too exhausted to really care about whether or not she is). She’s been there too. She understands, or at least pretends to, because she knows that I need that right now. She loves and cares for you, through the good, bad, and the ugly.

I’ve been blessed with not just one, but four girls who give me this kind of love on a day to day basis. They’re my little bits of heaven to come home to when the world is going insane. They’re my sisters, my confidants, and my best friends. They’re my roommates.

Though you will hear many nightmarish roommate stories, fear not: this isn’t one of them (we got lucky). Us five college girls fit neatly in a quaint and quiet two story blue house, which is located in the suburbs on the outskirts of our college town. We are a diverse and spirited group of gals. Despite our differences, we all have a way of keeping each other sane, smiling, and keeled over laughing—in our house, the ongoing dialogue is hilarious, blunt, and oftentimes legendary.

It’s only been a year, but our house is already full of memories—the spur of the moment dance parties, the perfectly timed witty comments that still have us laughing days later, the frantic pre-date hunts for the perfect dress, the truckloads of frozen yogurt, and the constant blasting of Ariana Grande (and how have we not gotten complaints? Seriously, our neighbors must be deaf).

In our house, we make it a habit to love unconditionally and encourage each other, every single day. This love and encouragement continues to flow no matter where we’re at in life, even (and especially) at the low points. This is so important for any household because the storms in life have a nasty habit of showing up when it’s least convenient. When the waves get too high and one of our boats starts to take on water, we each grab our buckets and get dumping, and wait patiently for the sun to come back out. And it always does, somehow, right when we need it to.

It isn’t perfect, don’t get me wrong. We aren’t the Brady Bunch by any means. We make messes and leave them, we disagree, we get frustrated, we misunderstand (I am so guilty of all of these). But those moments get made up for, in little ways—a surprise coffee here and there, running errands for each other, fixing a quick meal. No questions are asked, and nothing is expected in return. I’d never experienced the true power of “the little things” until I came to college; when I leave home in a whirlwind and come back to a bed made and laundry folded, I’m telling you, nothing in the world makes me feel more loved.

The fact is, the many facets of college life are taxing, and we need a place to come rest and be built back up after a long, hard day. We are all trying to be and do so much all at the same time. Somehow we manage to juggle being students, employees, friends, daughters, girlfriends, and sisters, all while trying to figure out our educational and career paths, build our resumes, maintain decent living conditions, feed ourselves, and show up not looking like we just rolled out of a ditch. Power to us—but, our pursuits of the countless different opportunities gets exhausting. My house has an unspoken mutual understanding that sometimes at home, we need to let it all hang out. We need a nurturing, judgment-free environment, where we feel safe and loved. Luckily for me, that’s exactly what we create, maintain, and enjoy in our house.

To my gorgeous, wild, and wonderful co-mess creators, thank you for taking care of me and loving me the way I need to be loved. Thank you for understanding my boundaries and accepting my quirks. The amount of joy that each of you has brought me over the past year is immeasurable, and I am so grateful to each one of you. This wonderful time in our life is full of a lot of good times and some bad ones too—but you girls make me thankful for all of it.