Can Living with a Roommate with a Disability be the Best Roommate Ever?

According to Taylor Mason, Mikelle’s current roommate the answer is YES! Find out why. Both Mikelle and Taylor want to help you or someone you love find the best roommate possible and keep them!

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Mikelle and Taylor at Grand Lake, CO

Tips and Tricks to Being a Good Roommate and Creating Your Own Roommate Ecosystem

Don’t sweat the small stuff like:

  The always diminishing peanut butter

  Running out of toaster strudel

  Who finishes off the coffee

  Pets who eat other pet’s food

  Nail polish

Always address these types of situations

  New guys in your life

  Respecting bathroom privacy

  My phone is my business, your phone is yours

  Noise levels

 Things to know when you’re Mikelle’s roommate:

  Always make sure the coffee pot is ready to go

  Look out for your own toes

  Never bring new boyfriends around unless you’re sure they’ll stick around for awhile

  Laundry is always in need of doing

  Singing is always acceptable, but keep the music down

  You will watch the Wizard of Oz a million times, it’s unavoidable

  Check in when you get home (early) at night, a happy home is when you’re all safe and sound in bed

  Remember to create boundaries (i.e. bedroom, bathroom, free time)

             As someone who’s had at least ten different roommates in the past three years I can easily say that Mikelle is, by far, one of the best roommates. She can’t cook or clean but she certainly brings her own contributions like a personal light and warmth to our little home. Most importantly she brings laughter. No one can brighten my day better than Mikelle when she’s in a great mood. Her laugh is infectious and her smile spreads like wildfire.

            Mikelle is always looking out for me just like I’ll always do for her. She gets concerned when she doesn’t know when I’ll be home and is always asking what time I get off work or when I’ll be done hanging out with my friends. I know it’s because she cares. One of the perks of living with her is the little treats she likes to bring home whenever she goes out. Whether it’s a slice of cake from King Soopers or flowers for the table, Mikelle loves to brighten up our days any way she can.

            With all good things there are some negatives. We are still working on certain boundaries like; my phone is my business alone, my room is my space alone, my time in the bathroom should be mine alone and calling me before seven AM is simply a crime.

The best way to adjust to a roommate is to set and keep these sorts of boundaries. It creates a sense of respect and friendliness with each other that allows you to over look stupid little things like a mysterious lack of peanut butter when all you want is a PB&J.

            The roommate ecosystem is fragile but deep-rooted. We can, without words, count on each other for certain things. On the other hand there are a lot of things that we need to talk about constantly. Things like drinking habits, boyfriends (Wait for the next blog from me to hear more on this subject!), where you work and what sort of foods we both like.

            The point is this; being a roommate (especially for Mikelle) has lots of ups and a fair share of downs but you learn to work through and enjoy them all, respectively. Open communication, honesty, love and a positive attitude can solve almost any domestic issue. We try to keep all this in mind when we’re getting on each other’s nerves. Just remember to forgive the little things and join together to tackle the big ones.