Photo from morgueFile.com

A few years ago my parents, cousins, aunts and uncles all stood in a studio in our Sunday best, huddled around two empty chairs. It was my grandparent’s 5oth aniversary, but they weren’t there. They probably wished they were on a cruise to Hawaii (My grandma’s dream that she fulfilled a few years ago), but they were at home. My frail grandma had tripped and fallen in the front yard. She wasn’t seriously hurt, but she had broken nose and a black eye. Not family portrait material.

I turned out alright though, we still had a party for them later that day, and they were digitally added to the portrait a few weeks later. You would never know they weren’t there.

Photo from morgueFile.com

Conservative studies suggest that soon, maximum life expectancy could grow to 120 and beyond as we reduce the ravages of aging and age-related diseases. If human longevity continues to lengthen, will there be a possibility for a platinum anniversary?

A couple of the characters in my book live for centuries, so I’ve had to consider what their relationships would look like.

What does “til death do you part” look like if you know you’ll live for centuries?

Would people wait longer before marrying? Is that a bad thing? Those who get married in their 30s are less likely to divorce. If that’s the case fertility would need to be extended too.

Do people change drastically the longer they live? If so, it might be harder to stay married.

How likely is this to come about in any of our lifetimes? All I know is, not long ago, no one could have imagined being added flawlessly to a photo when you weren’t there to have it taken.