To my college roommate,

I was so nervous to meet you. I was worried that we wouldn’t get along, or that we wouldn’t like each other, or that we wouldn’t be friends.

I was happy when I found out you were extroverted, inclusive, and cheerful. I was thrilled when I learned that you were into a lot of the same things as me, and that you brought no drama into my life.

I was beyond glad when I learned that you liked one of my favourite bands, that almost no one had heard of. And that you like coffee, cute outfits, photo shoots, reading, poetry, naming cacti, dancing, and shopping for things that we really don’t need.

Thank you for bringing me out of my introverted shell. Thank you for forcing me to go and socialize (even when I really didn’t want to!) and thank you for making me laugh when I cried. Thank you for being there for me. For our Walmart trips, for our late night laughs. For the decision of staying up late at night when we both had an eight a.m. class just because we were talking.

College wouldn’t have been the same without you, and every day, knowing that we live together so well, makes me happy. It makes me feel genuinely relieved. Thankfully, you’re just as weird as me!

I’m away from home, but it’s kind of like I’m not really that far away. You and our other friends have kind of turned into a makeshift family. I love it, and I’m crazy grateful.

Thanks for being a roommate I can tease mercilessly, and play pranks on. Thanks for confiding in me, and for letting me confide in you.

Sorry that I sometimes get up early (but you sleep through pretty much anything, so I’m not too worried), and sorry that I almost set off the smoke alarm that one time when I put a French toaster stick into the microwave for quadruple the time it was supposed to go in. Sorry that I spread my homework out, and that I got you sick that one time. Sorry that I’m kind of a pain.

We’ve had more awkward and embarrassing moments than good ones, and I love it. It’s a little scary, maybe, how similar we are, but if we weren’t, the differences that we do have wouldn’t complement each other as well.

Thanks for making my day, pretty much every day. For showing me that no one is perfect, that people can care without dragging you down, and that introverts and extroverts can be close knit.

Sincerely,

A super grateful roommate

(p.s. When you jump onto my bed just as I’m falling to sleep is a little surprising, but I smile every time I think about it.)