My Turn: Which of life's moments would you pick to relive?

Haven’t we all become a bit more reflective over the past year, facing our own mortality as thousands have died of COVID-19? I recently recalled Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play "Our Town." Emily, a main character, has died in childbirth and wants to relive one day of her life. Mrs. Gibbs, the town doctor’s deceased wife, tells her, "Choose the least important day of your life. It will be important enough." Emily chooses her 12th birthday and realizes how much of ordinary life she has missed.

What if each of us had the same opportunity? What day would we pick? Let’s change the rules a bit: You can relive five days — days before marriage, children and careers. It’s not an easy task!

Here are my difficult choices, in no particular order:

Sea Cliff Night at Ebbets Field (Aug. 3, 1956): When I entered the stadium with Dad and saw the field, was it really the most brilliant green I had ever seen? Sidebar: The game went 12 innings, and I loved every minute!

Going to see "The Long, Long Trailer" (starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) at Radio City Music Hall in 1954 with my mom and my sister Meg, followed by a trip to Horn & Hardart’s Automat: I can still recall putting those coins in the slot to purchase what I thought was the most wonderful chicken pot pie. Sidebar: In those days you saw a movie and a Rockettes performance.

Any typical summer’s day in Sea Cliff: I’d leave my bike at Conklin Motors, race down what seemed like hundreds of steps to the Sea Cliff Pavilion and have a fabulous day swimming in Hempstead Harbor. Riding home on my bike, I’d stop at the library and then head to Clifton Park for a baseball game with my buddies. Sidebar: The pavilion burned down in the early ’60s but was eventually replaced by a much smaller building.

Any day in high school: I’d travel by bus from Glen Cove to Hempstead and then to Uniondale to St. Pius X Preparatory Seminary. I would like one more chance to learn from some of the finest teachers a young man could ever hope for, and I’d love to see my early interaction with people I still call friends 60 years later. Sidebar: We were dismissed early our very first day of high school because Hurricane Donna was heading our way!

A day working at the Glen Cove Post Office, my favorite summer job: I got to know my hometown intimately by traveling over previously unknown streets and finding mailboxes in the weirdest places! A plus would be hanging out with my buddy/post office "partner in crime" Jim and his "cool" Mercury Cougar. Sidebar: A recent visit confirmed that Oak Lane is still the prettiest street in town.

That’s my list. Have fun making yours. It’s great to recollect but hard to make choices. Emily, thinking in the play about her life, says, "It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another." How very true! Enjoy your trip.

Chris Brown,

Wading River