Roomies

                 

Once upon a time, when I went off to college, into that brave, scary new world, far away from home, I had absolutely no idea who’d be sharing my room, my bathroom, my desk and my closet.

What would I do if my roommate snored?  What if I snored?  What if she wants to stay up till two in the morning and I want lights out at nine pm?  What if she plays sports and I play the piano?  How would I cope? 

But I really didn’t give a whole lot of thought because that was just the way it was.   Once upon a time.

Not so in today’s world.  Social media has stepped in to help take the “scary” away.  Savvy, newly accepted freshman get cracking ASAP.  They contact other newbies they think they might like.  Through Facebook and other sources.  They compare notes, clothes, interests, colors.  When the stars align, they decide to room together. Then THEY inform the school.  Not the other way around.

Their parents cyber-meet. The new “roomies” continue to FB and instagram, cementing the relationship.  Friends from the get-go.

My freshman college roommate and I were assigned to each other.  She was, indeed, a true hockey-jock and I, truly, played the piano.  She was from a preppy little town in Massachusetts; I was from the hills of West Virginia.  Her parents drove her to school; mine sent me and my steamer trunk on a train.  She’d never uttered a four letter word; I swore like a sailor.

We most likely would never have said the first hello to each other if the school hadn’t put us in the same room.   Hockey fields and the music department were worlds apart. 

But we managed just fine.  Better than fine.   And to this very day.

If things had been different and chance hadn’t been allowed to play its role, we’d each be absent a good, and genuine, friend.  And that would have been a crying shame.

Picture of incoming frosh courtesy of virginia.edu.