Make sure you communicate or you may get salmonella!

Time and time again, I am told by couples that I interview how important communication is to a good relationship. This week I experienced first-hand how important this really is.

One morning this week, my husband Michael came down the stairs, put his arm around me and said, “That chicken salad you made me for lunch yesterday was amazing, I’m going to make some more for lunch today.” He walked over to the fridge and pulled out some leftover chicken. It had been in there a few too many days. There was other container that had some usable leftover chicken in. I asked him which one he was using and he showed me the older one. When I realized he had taken the older food container, I told him not to use it and explained that he had to throw that chicken away! I thought that he knew that the other chicken had been in there longer, but something made me check with him just to make sure. That simple communication saved him from potentially getting salmonella. I assumed that he knew which container had the fresh cooked chicken in; I was wrong. Our communication helped him from getting sick and inadvertently helped me, by avoiding days of tending to him while he was sick and then also our two children alone while he recovered.

Lesson of the day, never assume they know. Check with your partner, just because you know, doesn’t mean they do!