Origins
When I was a bachelor, in the busiest part of my dating scene, I lived in an apartment building in Briarwood Queens and met good friends Belinda and Peter. Almost instantly Peter became my best buddy and we’d do everything together. Skiing, camping, softball, woodworking and dozens of other activities we loved to do together. There was one period of time that we saw each other for 43 days in a row (without planning it!) We used to joke that we were “brothers from a different mother. ” Peter served as the “best man” at Sherry and my wedding.
We would frequently ski together, including one day that we drove to Killington (4.5 hours each way) just for the day! There’s a much longer story here about getting stuck on a frozen chairlift for over an hour, that I will save for another time.
Peter is a Columbia University trained mechanical engineer, master woodworker and cabinet maker, possessing a unique set of skills and view of the world. I learned many of my woodworking tricks from him, including in 1988, when we worked together to renovate the kitchen of my newly purchased co-op apartment in Forest Hills. After seeing the pictures of my grandfathers desk (adventure #2) he immediately said, that’s not mahagony, it’s walnut!
Losing the Connection
Belinda and Peter moved to California some 27 years ago, and we keep in touch and see each other occasionally. But its hard to say that we have not drifted apart. Peter is not comfortable on the phone, and when we visited it was always as couples. I had not really thought about this before, but the two of us had not been alone together in more than a quarter century.
An opportunity
So, when Peter suggested we play a round of golf, I jumped at the chance to reconnect and have some alone time together. Peter plays a couple of times a week, and knows the course well. Those of you who have played with me, know I have a decent swing, but do not play consistently enough to keep my score down. I have never even played a game in California before. The Diablo Hills golf course is squeezed in among dozens of homes, and is odd enough to be worthy of it’s own blog – but this really was not about the golf.
Peter is fun. He can make the oddest shot feel like an important mission. The two of us picked up where we left off and I remembered why I love this man. He sees the world and his place in it through a pragmatic lens. He enjoys talking trash, but he’s also one of the most genuine people I know.
Peter, thank you for this gift. Let’s do it again soon.