Transactional Relationships & Shadow Vows

When we covertly hope instead of overtly ask, we're always disappointed.

I don’t recall where I heard this, likely a podcast, but I was listening to a conversation about relationships and someone remarked that they are all, by their very nature, transactional. With our closest loved ones, there’s an exchange of attention, affection, security. The currency in play is love—not money or favors or opportunities—but a current non…