I grew up in a wonderful town and I’m very fortunate to have such a precious childhood. A big reason why is my neighbor in Holmdel, Patrick Soffientini.

Living a few houses away and being the older kid on the block, he always stood out as someone who watched over me. Growing up together was a big part of that. We bonded over the stereotypical nonsense: video games, tv shows, what have you. But with Patrick we really got to see our lives change before our eyes.

It started simply by playing games of catch. I would have some of my deepest conversations with Pat just by throwing a baseball around. You really get an insight of how a person is while throwing a ball around. I believe it’s bill burr who put it, as the “exchanging of information, with every throw.” You’re passing knowledge to each other, because a simple conversation is just too arbitrary for kids. So we trudged on and experienced our youth together. Playing sports. Having meaningful conversations. Learning about life through growth. We would bond through our formative years up until it was time for him to go college. There was a little bit of standstill in our relationship because I was still in high school and he was on to the next chapter. Don’t worry, though, fate had other plans for us.

During lockdown we were reunited, picking up where we left off. It was a very seamless transition for us because we were always the best of friends. I remember having a conversation with him in my kitchen about the state of the world and how it’d never be the same. The fact of the matter is, though, we can benefit from different and for Patrick’s and I’s relationship, we did. We reconnected. 

I remember learning that Patrick was on track to becoming a child psychologist. I found it very fitting, because he’s always been incredibly easy to talk to. Not judgmental. Incredibly fair. And most importantly, very understanding. So post lockdown we’ve had a decent amount of hangouts in which we don’t do much but just talk about life’s challenges, mysteries, and situations. Honestly I always look forward to our hangouts because I feel it’s a bit of therapy for each other. We’re allowed to say what we want to each other without fear of repercussions. That’s a true blessing.

Pat, you’ve made me incredibly proud seeing the progress you’ve made and person you’ve become. You’ve went on a path that the kid versions of ourselves would be patting you on the back for. Take solace in knowing you’re doing excellent work, my friend. We’re all proud of you.