Discussion»Questions»Life and Society» There are "best if used by" dates on many things. Food/cosmetics/meds. Relationships too although they're invisible. How long do YOURS last?
There are "best if used by" dates on many things. Food/cosmetics/meds. Relationships too although they're invisible. How long do YOURS last?
On prescriptions there are "discard by" dates as well. I expect they wouldn't be toxic if you took them after that date but they are probably less effective with time.
"Best by" dates are rather subjective. You're right in that most pills just lose some potency as time passes. Best by dates on food are often random guesses as well. Milk can last for days or weeks after the printed date. Eggs can be good months after. Last night, I ate a can of pineapples that "expired" in 2015. I am no worse for the wear. We do a lot of "sniff-testing." We'll pass around a gallon of milk or something and gain a consensus as to whether it appears expired. My son thought I was nuts for eating the pineapple last night, but he still jumped in and sniffed it and examined the can. lol
I think relationships need to pass the "sniff-test" too. When they are toxic, it's time to discard them. Will it take days, weeks, months, years, or a lifetime for them to go bad? I suppose that depends on the manufacturing, packaging, and how well they're cared for. A relationship made in haste will sour fast. One that's made with intention and cared for right could last a lifetime.
When I was married, I created an emergency food storage area. The freeze-dried stuff in it will be good long after my kids have kids. My marriage, on the other hand, apparently had a shorter shelf-life. *shrugs* At least I got to keep my stockpile.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question with such a thoughtful, personal and beautiful analysis JA. Too bad we don't ever know going in how it is going to turn out/end or when. I have three refrigerators. The one in the garage belongs to the landlord and he asked us to please use it so we do. We bought one from Old School years ago when he moved from California to Honolulu. We already had one. All freezers are loaded. I label and recycle things. Sometimes I will make a big pot of soup out of a zillion remnants of prior meals(we eat a lot of veggies) based on veggies and sometimes meat and Jim LOVES them. They are very nutritious. But I am the exact opposite of you. If I miss using something by the "use by" date it gets tossed. Why? Because even if it were to taste good or smell good I would KNOW and you know the mind has a powerful impact on the body. I could make myself sick worrying about it so I don't. I go through the fridges and cupboards regularly to make sure I'm using things logicallyand chronologically. Often that's how I decide what I'm going to cook. Whatever is getting close to use-by date gets first preference and I have come up with some pretty unusual but tasty (according to my Jim) dishes that way. Thank you for your reply JA! :)
Just Asking 