College is a time of change. You've moved out, you're making decisions, you're meeting people who are going to shape the rest of your life. Yet, change can sometimes feel like a war against friendships. Friends come in and out of your life and the people you thought you'd know forever start to fade. It can be lonely.
This is why people want to room with friends they already know. That is the temptation. You assure yourself you're not losing them by forcing them to stay in your life with a lease.
We've all heard that you aren't supposed to room with your best friend. There can be drama, and if you learn too much about a person it can destroy a friendship. But what happens when your roommate becomes your best friend? I'll tell you. Endless sleepovers, late night chats, stomach aches from laughing, runs to McDonald's at 2 a.m. and someone always there to turn to when life gets weird or difficult or confusing. Being best friends with your roommate offers you a complete picture of how unconditional friendship and love should be.
I believe that a best friend should love you through all of it: the good, the bad, the ugly. Good roommates are forced to see that 24/7 and still might want to live with you. But best friends see that and still want to love you and be friends.
I am the luckiest person because I found my person so soon after starting college. Though we didn't start out very close, she's been with me through the ups and downs of life more than most people.
It started out due to necessity. We needed someone to go to the dining hall with. Soon after, the lines began to blur between "my roommate" and "my friend." Then, we had to decide where to live the next year and somehow there was an unspoken agreement that we would still be roommates.
The craziest part is that we would never have met if it weren't for random roommate assignments. Different majors, classes and interests would have lead us down completely different paths. Instead, we walk those paths together.
Somehow I was blessed with a two for one deal. I got a roommate, but ended up with a best friend. This stranger I met as a freshman has shaped my life and changed who I am. She has taught me things and been a rock for me when I've felt down. We've conquered college issues, boy problems, life crises, sickness and even moved to another state together. She sees a side of me that most don't.
And she still chooses to remain my friend and roommate.
If you have never liked your roommates, I am sorry for you. Living with your best friend has it's fair share of hardships, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
And to my best friend/roommate: Thank you for all you do. Thank you for putting up with me, giving me space when I need it, listening when I vent and telling me when I'm wrong. You're a treasure and don't forget it!
