

A few times over the years, I've solved a relationship problem in a way that I was really proud of, because the solution met everybody's needs when it looked like such a solution didn't exist. I still turn back to these examples when I'm faced with a new difficulty, because I may be able to model a new solution out of the old ones.



An example of what I'm talking about: a roommate declared one day that he was no longer willing to share dishes with me: I didn't wash them well enough for his liking, even after repeated reminders. Well, that sucked -- it would be extra time, expense, and bother. But, we were able to talk about it calmly, and we worked out that really it was only the glasses that I drank milk out of which weren't getting cleaned well. So I suggested that I get a set of milk-drinking-glasses, just for me, and that we continue to share the rest of the dishes. And it worked! We never fought about dishes again. The lesson I learned from that: try to whittle a problem down to its smallest core, and solve that.



It's just a silly example -- drinking glasses! -- but I've remembered this incident for years, and modified the solution in various other issues of household maintenance. I'd love to have other examples to draw upon going forward. So, MeFites, when did you come up with a relationship solution that you were particularly proud of, and what lessons did you draw from it?

What clever relationship "hacks" have you come up with? I'm looking to build up my mental catalogue of examples of non-obvious solutions to relationship difficulties. Help me think out of the box better in the future!