With the chaos of my college life, the gift of living with my roommate is often taken for granted. I overlook how special it is to wake up each morning and get ready with one of my best friends. The small conversations we have in between classes, the morning coffee runs, the sporadic dance parties we have when our work becomes too much – these moments tend to blur into the backdrop of my days, becoming events that I assume will always be there. It wasn’t until my roommate went away one weekend that I really noticed the difference in my routine. Suddenly, there was no one to chat with when I was feeling bored, no one to annoy when I started singing the song stuck in my head, no one to scroll through TikToks with while lying five feet apart in our own beds. The silence was uncomfortable, not peaceful.Â
While living in these tiny dorms with another person can feel overwhelming at times, I find that some of my favorite moments are spent within these four walls. Yes, the crammed fridge, cluttered spaces, and tight quarters can be viewed as a nuisance, yet I feel a sense of life and hominess in the mess. There is something comforting about knowing that no matter the trajectory of the day, I will always come home to a friend who understands it in the same way I do. Sharing a space has brought me so many moments of joy – moments that I try to hold on to as I know one day these four walls will no longer be ours.