My nephew flies helicopters. Part of his training happened with hundreds of hours using flight simulator software, called X-plane, in a highly convincing environment created to emulate true conditions. He could practice landings in various scenarios without actually crashing. Handy. Pilots can tackle problems inside, on the ground, and find out if they will solve the issue in the air. 

Recently my twins have done some babysitting gigs. They care for a pack of kids, making food and playing games until mom gets home. There was one house that was stunningly beautiful, with edgy architecture. The kids were normal though, and wanted to play "don't touch the floor." My brood has been hopping on couch cushions for two decades, a practice whose rules are singularly simple. They figured they had time before the parents arrived home to clean up, and proceeded to plop designer sofa pillows across the Italian tile floor, just below the indoor fountain. Everyone was happily hopping when the door opened and the mother walked in. Her face suggested that she had never entertained such shenanigans before. The twins were not rehired. 

Still the whole experience of babysitting does ready them for their own brood one day, something they have prayed for for years. While they may not have been the quintessential sitters in the eyes of one well mannered mother, they gained experience. 

There is a place in marriage for simulation. Pretending that you love each other when the feelings have flown, can give you the necessary practice for getting off the ground. If you believe in eternal marriage, as I do, clocking hundreds of hours on earth can get do a lot to lift you into the sky.