Jordan Clark

If you are truly lucky in life, you find a group of friends who become more like family. I’ve been fortunate to have that — a close-knit group of about 15 friends spread across the United States and Canada, many of us working in the event and hospitality industry. Over the years, we celebrated together, traveled together, supported one another through victories and hardships, and became each other’s “ride or die” people. But life and work kept all of us constantly moving. We stayed connected, but too often our time together became something we assumed there would always be more of later. Then one of the most beloved members of our group, Durwood Gould, was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and given just 18 months to live. The news hit all of us hard. It forced us to stop and reevaluate what really mattered. As we rallied around Durwood and helped him experience the places and moments on his bucket list, he unknowingly gave all of us an even greater gift: perspective. He made us realize that friendship should not only be prioritized during tragedy or loss. The people we love deserve our time now. That became our message to one another: Invest in Friends. Since then, we’ve made gathering together a true priority. Sometimes the trips are planned far ahead, sometimes they happen spontaneously, but we no longer take “someday” for granted. Remarkably, through incredible medical care, determination, and plenty of prayers, Durwood lived five years — not 18 months. We are deeply grateful for every extra moment we had with him. Though we have since lost other dear friends far too soon, the lesson remains the same: the greatest investment we can make is in the people we care about. That investment continues to pay dividends every single day.