• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Feels Like Home™ logo

  • Shop
    • Christianity Downloads
    • Family Downloads
    • Food & Cooking Downloads
    • Hobbies & Crafts Downloads
    • Learning Downloads
  • Blog
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Marriage
    • Kids activities
      • Kids Crafts
      • Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers
      • Christmas Crafts for Kids
      • Christmas Crafts for Tweens & Teens
    • Learning
      • Reading & Writing
      • STEM
  • Faith
    • Bible Study
    • Encouragement
  • Recipes
    • Comfort Food
    • Eating after Bariatric Surgery
    • Gluten-Free
    • Recipes for Foodie Kids
    • Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals
  • Health
    • Mental Health
      • Hobbies & Crafts
      • Self-Care
    • Physical Health
      • Bariatric Surgery
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • SHOP
  • RECIPES
  • FAMILY
  • FAITH
  • HEALTH
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    See More:   Good Health Mental Health Self-Care

    Last Modified: Jul 28, 2018 by Tara Ziegmont Leave a Comment

    On Grief, Moving On, and the Movie that Made Me Cry Myself to Sleep

    38FacebookMessenger109PinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    147
    SHARES

    a collage of photos from the movie HachiPin

    It has been a very long time since a movie wrecked me and made me cry myself to sleep. It's happened maybe never before, but it happened yesterday.

    Grace and I wanted to watch a movie together, and I picked Hachi over her objection. The premise is that a man (Richard Gere {swoon}) finds a puppy at the train station, raises him, and then dies, leaving the devoted puppy to wait for him at the train station for the rest of its life - nine long years.

    I have no idea what made me think watching this movie was a good idea. It was clearly sad, the kind of sad that would leave me with a hole in my heart, mourning lost loves and lost pets and my lost mother. And, it is based on the true story of a dog and his owner in Japan, making it all the worse.

    But watch it we did. The first half of the movie was beautiful, all about the bond between this man and his dog. At first, he carried the dog everywhere with him, as he was trying to find the real owner. But soon, the puppy grew up, and the man and his dog were inseparable. There's even a scene were the man is giving the dog a deep tissue massage, evidence of his complete devotion to his friend.

    The dog, Hachi, goes with the man every day to the train station, where the man gets on a train to go off to work and then comes home on a train at 5 o'clock. Except, one day, he goes off to work and dies there, and never comes back.

    The man's now grown daughter comes to the train station and takes Hachi home. He lives with her for a while (years, it seemed), but he is very sad and tries to escape every time he hears a train whistle. She eventually opens the gate and lets him leave.

    He runs to the train station. Even now, as I type this a full 24 hours after watching, I am crying a full-on ugly cry. The dog sits in his waiting spot, right outside the doors of the station, watching expectantly for his owner to appear.

    The years pass, and the dog still waits. A hot dog vendor brings him dog food and water every day, and Hachi gets some attention in the press as the dog who has been waiting for his deceased owner for years.

    As time goes by, Hachi gets scruffier and scruffier and sadder and sadder. By the end of the movie, his head hangs low, and he is all dirty and his fur is matted, but he still waits.

    I'm sure you can see where this is going. At the very end, he lays down his head and dies. In his death, he is reunited with his man who finally walks out the doors of the train station and joins his dog in an eager reunion. 

    In the movie, Hachi is celebrated as the ultimate ideal of loyalty, but I don't see it that way, and that's why I decided to write about it here.

    To me, Hachi is a tragic soul who couldn't move on. He couldn't get past the fact that his life changed, and he couldn't see the beauty of what was right in front of him. He couldn't appreciate the fact that he had a new family with a new human brother who loved him and could have made him happy again.

    I see myself in Hachi's tragedy, and I think that's what makes me so very sad.

    For the first two years after my mom passed away, I wished she would come back. While I went through the motions of my life, I held on to her. I couldn't let go.

    I cried every day. I grieved over lunch dates and playtimes and phone calls that would never happen. I couldn't appreciate the beauty of the family right in front of me because the pain of what was gone was just too much to bear.

    I ended up finding a wonderful Christian psychologist who was able to help me. Through weekly sessions with her, I did move on. I'll admit now that there are days when I don't think about my mom or wish she was here with me. There are, of course, days when I do think about her and wish her back, and there are days when I still cry all these five years later, but they are not all that common.

    I have a good life now, even without her, and that's okay. That's what is supposed to happen. Unlike Hachi, I was able to move on and stop waiting for my mom's return. 

    I think the great tragedy in this story is that Hachi's owner would have wanted him to be happy. I think it would have broken the man's heart to see his beloved puppy just sitting at the train station and waiting for him to come back for all those years.

    In the same way, I think it broke my mom's heart to see me stuck and in pain in the months and years after her death. She would never have wanted me to suffer so much.

    I think about my mom most during the weeks leading up to Mother's Day, so it was fitting that we watched this tragic movie on that day. It reminded me that moving on is a good and healthy thing, and that staying stuck in your grief is not only painful for you but painful for everyone around you. It also reminded me that loyalty can go too far, for too long, and that it can prevent you from enjoying the beautiful things right in front of you.

    If you're stuck in loyalty and grief to someone you've lost, I hope you will find a good counselor or therapist to help you move past it. There's no need for you to live like Hachi, wasting away waiting for the impossible.

    a collage of photos from the movie HachiPin

    38FacebookMessenger109PinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    147
    SHARES

    More Mental Health

    • Best Audiobooks for Women
    • 12 Reasons Why Crocheting Should Be Your New Hobby
    • 5 Tips for Remote Working With Kids at Home
    • 10 Ways Christian Women Can Manage Anxiety & Depression

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tara.

    Harrisburg PA mom blogger Tara Ziegmont
    I am passionate about helping women to care for themselves and their families physically, emotionally, and spiritually by making time for what matters most through a combination of delectable recipes, Christian inspiration, and family fun. If you're tired of feeling so weary and uninspired, you're in the right place. I'm so glad you're here!
    Read more about me...

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn email me subscribe

    Popular Recipes

    • Cheeseburger Soup from Taste of Home
    • Cracker Barrel Copycat Fried Apples
    • Sweet Balsamic Pork Roast in the Instant Pot
    • Couldn't Be Easier Cherry Pie

    Food with an Instant Pot in the background

    AS SEEN ON

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Popular Bible Studies

    • A Grateful Heart - 2 week printable study
    • 10 Bible Verses on Anger
    • 13 Bible Verses on Disappointment
    • 50 Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know
    • 10 Bible Verses to Overcome Worry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    As seen on

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Contact Tara


    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy.

    Copyright © 2022 Feels Like Home Blog

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    SettingsAccept
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT