This framework changed my perception on conflicts with my partner

I struggled with a rule that my boyfriend had: no surprises, no presents. As someone who prides herself on her surprise party-throwing skills and hilarious joke gifts, venturing outside of this was confusing.

At first (yes, this is dumb), it shook my world because I didn’t even know there were other ways to show love and appreciation. But we’ll circle back at this in the end, if you’d like to hear that story.

Part 1: Finding commonality