What Scene From Your Past Would You Revisit?

This week's question was:

If you could go back in time & watch a scene from your life as an objective, outside observer, what would it be? And why?

I knew going in that responses on Twitter probably wouldn't offer anything meaningful, and I was right. In 140 characters, it's near impossible to answer the question. But Facebook responses were diverse, insightful, and lovely. Here is a sampling; I'll let them speak for themselves.

 The birth of my daughter. There's so much I don't remember, and I'm reliant on the memory of others for certain things. I'd like to know exactly what drugs I was given, when, and why. I had a wonderful birth, but there were times I felt very out of control and dependent on others to act in my and my daughter's best interests. … and I'm a control freak like that.

—Melody Layne

The night my stepmother committed suicide. The Wizard of Oz was on, and all the kids knew something really out of place was going on, but we just focused on the TV like a life preserver to get through. I still can't watch it 40 years later without thinking about that night.

—Babs Mountjoy

The instant Dianna answered the door for our third date and I was struck speechless, KNOWING she would become my wife. We celebrate our 41st in January.

—Jerry B. Jenkins

I would observe myself as I interacted in precious, private moments with my son who had cerebral palsy and passed away far too soon at age 12. In those sacred parenting moments, I would see no disability, no need for advocacy, no judgment by others of my son's value, no loss of parenting dreams and milestones, just a mother's unconditional love for her child.

—Judy Winter

I'd want to see all the behind-the-scenes talks my folks had about me and my sisters as we were growing up. We always got the well-polished final product in the end (lecture, decision, etc.), but to see the messiness, debate and compromise leading up to it would hold many great lessons I'm sure on parenting and keeping a marriage together through it all.

—Stefanie Badders Laufersweiler

The three weeks I spent in the psychiatric ward … I'd like to compare my memories with what actually happened—the two are definitively not the same.

—Colleen Totz Diamond

The day I saw the "worm hole" or "stargate" and consider why I didn't walk through it—I was three years old.

—Sasha M Hitchner

 

And finally, there were some who dreaded the thought of revisiting the past …

Um … none thank you. Just the thought terrifies me.

—Amber Lynn

Nothing I can think of. I remember the pleasant events and have worked to forget the bad ones. I know that sounds flip, sorry, but I've really WORKED to forget the bad things … so I've revisited them from every angle already … and the good things, well, revisiting them would be painful too, but in a different way, you know?

—Holly Pettit

It sounds like something a mean god would make you do as punishment after you died—witness segments of your life. I'd rather look forward mostly because when I look at myself in the present or future, I see a much more brilliant person than the one who lived in the past.

—Nancy Yuktonis Solak

I think it would be like the scene in "Our Town," when Emily can't stand to watch it because she sees that nobody in her family is really looking at each other. "Does anyone really realize life while they live it?" she asks. "Every, every minute?" And the stage manager says, "No. Saints and poets, maybe. They do some."

—Deborah Bowman

So now I open the question up to you. Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Every Thursday, I pose a question of the week on my social media networks, drawn from Question of the Day by Al Katkowsky. Read more here, and follow the chain of answers on Twitter with hashtag #qotw.