Unknown
Remember when I said it was a nice night to meet your future husband? I’m a man of my word, cupcake. Game on. But I’ll give you a peek at my playbook.
The next text was a download link for The Ford Method that bypassed the paywall.
Fine. I wasn’t giving him my money. I clicked it, then looked up at Whitney and Wander.
“Who’s the dirty traitor who gave him my number?” I snapped.
Wander immediately looked guilty. “You can’t fall in love if he can’t get in touch with you.”
“I’m not falling in love with him!” I shrieked. “I want to tie cinder blocks to his ankles and push him into the Hudson!”
“The Hudson is a decent option,” Alona said with absolutely no emotion in her voice. “Low visibility in the water and a strongcurrent, but there’s too much marine traffic. You should dispose of a body by?—”
"We'renotkilling Ryan,” Whitney said.
Alona looked the slightest bit disappointed. I shared the sentiment.
“What wearegoing to do is reverse engineer this little wager,” Whitney said. “You have his plan, and he has to stick to it.”
“I don’t follow,” I said.
She grinned. “What do you do when someone’s trying to copy your paper in school?”
I raked my hand through my hair. “Tell the teacher?”
She shook her head. “You give them the wrong answers.”
THE FORD METHOD: WEEK ONE
10 THINGS I DON’T HATE ABOUT YOU
Welcome to the first week of the rest of your life. Exciting, isn’t it? This week is all about getting to know your partner.
Hopefully, if you’re here, you’ve already taken some time to get to know the person you’re wooing. Sure, you could try this with a stranger, but the results will be better if there’s a positive baseline connection.
During week one, you’ll be doing your research. Collecting data. Taking notes before the test. Watching film before the big game. Whatever analogy floats your boat.
The point is, this week’s challenge will set you up for success throughout the whole program, so take it seriously.
This week, make a note in your phone listing ten things that your partner likes. Don’t get fancy and use a notebook. The list needs to be kept somewhere handy. This could be anything from how they take their coffee to theirfavorite pizza toppings, their birthday (that’s a big one), or what makes them laugh.
Get a wide range of things. The basics: birthdays, important people in their life, pets or no pets.
Then get narrow: favorite colors, foods, and hobbies.
Put those together and it’s like solving a math equation. Need to get flowers? If their favorite color is red, but they’re allergic to roses, should you get red roses? No. Try dahlias, tulips, or zinnias.
Is their birthday coming up, but they hate cake? Get them their favorite donuts.
Get past the basics and dig in deeper. What was their favorite movie as a child? Do they collect things and have a white whale item they’re hunting for? (Set up Google alerts for that.) Do they like crowded events like concerts, or do they need space? What’s a favorite memory they have?
Don’t treat this like an interview. Don’t ask them to list ten things about themselves, then skip off on your merry way like it’s a get-to-know-you discussion board for college.
Find intentional time to have conversations with your partner. You’re going to see me use the word "intentional" a lot. Be observant. Listen. Then, record your notesafteryou say your goodbyes.
Nothing will tank a connection faster than treating your partner like a patient who has totalk while the doctor can’t be bothered to look up from the chart.
