A Craigslist ad changed my life. The only time I had roommates in my life was my first three years of college. I didn’t have a problem with them, but I just liked living by myself. When I graduated from grad school in Boston, I was broke, in debt, and my teaching job didn’t start for a few months. I couldn’t afford an apartment by myself; I needed a roommate. I swallowed my pride, and I went on Craigslist looking for one, preferably a female–I didn’t really feel comfortable living with guys and off-street parking because parking on the street in Boston is a nightmare and I was not going to continue to pay for parking tickets for leaving my car in its spot on street cleaning days. The options were still very pricey and I didn’t know what I was going to do. Then I saw one for $433/month, one bedroom in a three bedroom apartment with a guy and a girl and off-street parking. I wasn’t sure about living with a guy, but I emailed them to meet because the price was too good to pass up. I met up with them, and they were really nice, and we all decided it was a good fit. For $433 a month with off-street parking, how could I pass that up? The guy, Brendan and I, really got along. We became good friends. Six months later we were dating, a year later we were married. Life’s not been what I planned. But it’s because I was open–even a little–to change that I’ve been happily married for over twelve years. Be open. Life might surprise you.