To my roommate:
I am writing this much sooner than I thought I would, but with all of the chaos that is happening in our world right now, this is the perfect time to step back and look at the good things and people in our lives. So here goes, a letter to the girl that in only two short years of knowing each other has become someone so important to me, my best friend.
The beginning of our journey together was one of luck. Who would have thought that my decision to join a dance company an hour away from my home would eventually lead to an unexpected connection with another person going to a college seven hours away? I am forever grateful for the circumstances that led me to you because without them (and without Maureen) we would never have found each other.
It’s funny, looking for a roommate freshman year is truly like dating. Finding a person that you will click with enough to live in a tiny space with them for a year seems like a daunting task, and it is. We met without the assumption that we would end up becoming roommates, but from our first meeting, which lasted hours, something just felt right. Little did we know that evening at Starbucks that we had just begun a crazy adventure together.
I can’t believe we’ve only known each other for two years. It feels like ages ago since we were planning our first room in ‘Averi’s’ (the best form of measurement) on the pier. Since then, we have experienced and grown so much together. Everyone knows that college, especially freshman year, changes you into the person that you are meant to be, and we were lucky enough to experience that growth together.
Our freshman year brought us many memories and opportunities. From countless nights laying on the ground in our room, rearranging things at 3 AM, people watching sessions, dreaming about an ocean view for our room, hitting our heads on the ceiling, getting locked out in the middle of the night and giving each other a scare while trying to get back in, to movie nights with a laptop carefully balanced on a ladder, I won’t forget any of it. Most of the year was fantastic, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t go through bad times either. We became a crutch for each other, acting as shoulders to cry on when life got hard. There is no one else I would have wanted to spend my first year in Ohio with.
You have truly been there for me through it all. I value your advice and wise words so much and I truly do not think that I would be the person I am today without you. You know everything about me and exactly what I need to cheer me up. We have known for a long while that our time in Ohio together would be the only time that the two of us will live in the same place. Next year, you will be finishing your college career and I will be experiencing life elsewhere. Our lives are going in different directions, but that is okay.
It is bittersweet knowing I won’t get to wake up every day and have coffee dates with you, you won’t be a room away anymore. Although this saddens me, I know that we will not grow apart. Late-night talks on the floor will turn into FaceTime, we are only a phone call away from each other.
Overall, I want to just say thank you. Thank you for being there for me, always. Our friendship is one of the richest and warmest that there is, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am disappointed that our last semester living together had to get cut so short, but I am grateful for the time that we did have together. I will always be here for you, to support you and cheer you on in all of the amazing things that I know you will accomplish. You are such a strong and amazing woman, I have loved being able to watch you grow. I love you so much.
With a grateful heart,
Your Roomie