My friend Marilyn recently posted a moving depiction of grief. It showed how grief's intensity may fade over time, only to be punctured by moments of vivid memory. We never escape but learn to endure.
The Japanese have added another approach to life's promise of despair. In this country and culture, you can hire an actor to assume the role of a departed family member. One man hired a woman to take the place of his wife. It wasn't a sexual arrangement. He just wanted his "wife" to be waiting for him when he came home from work.
A distraught mother hired a man to "be" the husband who had deserted the family leaving the daughter behind. The miserable young girl blossomed after her "father" returned occasionally to care for her.
Japanese weddings are often populated by guests who are hired "members of the family." The same goes for boyfriends and girlfriends when the need arrises.
Too cold and pragmatic for you? Too unsatisfying? Or maybe creative enough to merit another thought.
