Let me just preface this by saying I live in a three bedroom house with two roommates; that's one person per room if you're mathematically inclined. So, when my coworker asked me if I was willing to let his friend Ricky crash at my house for a while, I was more than a little hesitant to agree. My coworker insisted I take him in, saying that he couldn't stay at his house anymore because his wife was putting her foot down (*whipping sound*), and I eventually warmed up to the idea of adding a new roommate. After work, I picked up Ricky and his things (because he didn't have a car) and took him to his new home.

My current roommates shared my initial skepticism at first, but after meeting Ricky, they agreed to try it and see how the new living situation panned out. Ricky is a weird guy, like a really weird guy. He isn't the talking type, and his personality is pretty flat to say the least. He doesn't have a job, a car, a goal or aspiration, nothing. We tried communicating with him, but all he would ever give in return was a blank stare. He usually would just stand in the corner or sit in the living room, not really interacting with anyone unless they interacted with him first. He's always the last to go to sleep, and always the first to wake up. Sometimes, he gets bored and will just hang out outside one of our doors until we open it, usually scaring us senseless depending on how prepared we were for it (we were never ready).

As time went on, Ricky became more comfortable around us and vice versa. We appreciated his awkwardly timed antics and the bright smile he gave. Unfortunately, he still wasn't comfortable enough to talk a whole lot, so we had to improvise a way to make him feel included in whatever we decided to do. Instead of asking what he wanted to do, me and my roommates decided to just drag him along with whatever was going on, ignoring his silent opposition.

Ricky has one redeeming quality: he doesn't say no. Wanna make a Walmart run at 4 in the morning? Dressed and ready to go. Down to throw water balloons at oncoming traffic? Already outside with a smile on his face. Ready to [REDACTED] then [REDACTED]? All he's wondering is why it took so long to come up with the idea. Ricky is down to do literally anything. I'm looking at him right now and he's wearing a multicolored poncho and a firefighter hat because we asked him to put on his strangest outfit. The dude is insane, and we love him for that. Everyone that meets Ricky instantly wants to be his best friend.

Ricky has pushed us all out of our comfort zones and forced us to try new things, from letting a total stranger crash on our couch, to doing crazier and crazier activities in an attempt to find Ricky's limit. Though he doesn't know it, Ricky's taught us all important life lessons. He's taught us how to get along with people we don't inherently like, and how to enjoy not making plans and just going out and doing something crazy.

I wouldn't trade the time I've got to spend with Ricky for the world, and I know my roommates feel the same way. Ricky has been a blessing in disguise: exactly what we needed exactly when we needed it. Thank you, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., my lifelong friend.

Ricky is a cardboard cut out. By the way.