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Why I Love Having a Roommate (Or, the Odd Couple, 2021)

     If there’s anything I’ve learned over the past year, it’s that I actually enjoy time to myself. This came as a surprise to me, as I’ve always considered myself to be an extreme extrovert. However, despite enjoying a solo quality time, I’ve never lived entirely on my own. Having a roommate comes with its own trials and challenges, but I can say without a doubt that I do love having roommates. I feel especially blessed now to be in a living situation where I feel comfortable and at home.


    One of my roommates is a friend from college, but the other came to me as a setup through another friend. I made a post on Facebook about needing someone to sublet and he insisted that I meet this childhood friend of his. We awkwardly “interviewed” over FaceTime because of Covid, and I hung up feeling extremely nervous. She seemed nice enough but I wondered if she would be neat enough, quiet enough, and considerate enough to meet my admittedly high standards when it comes to keeping a positive space. Despite all of my concerns, by the next month we were sharing an apartment.


    Fast forward almost eight months and a new lease later, and I now consider my roommate one of my best friends. I have laughed with her, cried with her, and danced the night away in our spacious (for New York) living room so many times over. There are many times when I find myself tidying something in the living room or kitchen that would never catch her eye because she certainly isn’t as neat as me. But if there’s anything that years of having roommates has taught me, it’s that the relationships we form, and what I gain from them, will always outweigh the satisfaction of my type-A tendencies. Sure, living alone would allow me to arrange the kitchen exactly how I want, or ensure that no one else would let the trash can overfill. But living alone wouldn’t teach me how to compromise, or communicate, or how to simply let things go. I am a better person for sharing my space and myself with others, and I like to hope that those who have lived with me could say the same thing. This past year was marked by loss, but I am so grateful for what I’ve gained; a confidant, a support system, and a sense of community in this big city.

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