Dear Jordan

Welp, Matthew Perry died a few weeks ago. I’m sure you know. I envision there’s a weekly welcome party in heaven to greet the newcomers. It’s safe to assume this was one of your favorite attendees second only to Alex Trebek who arrived just two months after you. If there’s no party, don’t ruin it for me. I already bought the perfect pair of shoes.

Witnessing the end of an era wasn’t on my 2023 bingo card. And it stings. It has been an incredibly sad thing to watch the Friends cast tributes roll out on social media. How could a celebrity’s death leave such a lasting impression on me?

And then I remembered…

Friends was kind of our thing. Ours and every other millennial who watched with their parents growing up, proceeded to collect each season on DVD for their birthday or Christmas, and, lastly, relived the magic (over and over) on TBS or Netflix at a ridiculous pace through college and into adulthood. Though I would argue we were committed more than the average fan.

In high school, our bond was forged due to an assignment to the same saxophone ensemble in band class but primarily by arguing over who was the bigger Friends fan. We formed “Friends Club” and struggled to agree on who should lead our efforts to remain devoted to the greatest show on television. In my mind, it was no contest, obviously me. Once over lunch hour, you dared to bring your Friends trivia game from home and we unofficially went head-to-head to test our knowledge. I witnessed your surprise when I more than demonstrated my President of the Friends Club abilities through the recall of episodes, quotes, guest stars, etc. Lucky for me, my list of hobbies was slim and showing you up didn’t prove to be a difficult task.

I’m happy to revisit your rebuttal of this memory when we are reunited. I have a feeling your version may have some variation. I believe that was the inaugural and final Friends Club meeting. At any rate, we stayed together even though we both came to different conclusions about our level of Friends fandom. Our first Christmas together you gifted me THE Friends collectors box. Complete with all ten seasons inside. So, together we now owned three sets of each Friends season. Never once considered parting with any. Seems reasonable.

Fast forward to our Europe excursion roughly seven years later. We found ourselves wandering the streets of London without evening plans. That quickly changed when we spotted the Playhouse Theatre. Showing there was The End of Longing a play written by and starring Matthew Perry. We snagged tickets and couldn’t believe our luck. As the play ended, we heard rumblings that we could catch a glimpse of Matthew Perry signing a few autographs as he exited the theatre. Like the good little tourists we were, we waited impatiently near the theatre’s back entrance. And then it happened. He walked out and began waving and taking pictures with fans. In true introvert fashion, I briskly walked away when he got remotely close. Luckily, you towered above the crowd and got a subpar picture for us to commemorate the moment.

It became a priority to include a subtle Friends reference on our wedding day. The occasion I appropriately named: The One Where Jordan and Courtney Get Married. The opportunity arose when we reviewed vow options provided by our church. We chose the vows that included vocabulary about giving, sharing, receiving…. if you know, you know. Could the vows BE any more perfect? We didn’t think so. If we were borrowing vow inspiration, Monica and Chandler’s nuptials were the only valid option. Especially since you proclaimed for years that you were Chandler and I had been kindly informed by friends I had a few Monica-esque characteristics. However, I always told you that you were more of a Ross purely for my own entertainment purposes. To conclude our big day, my siblings pulled off a surprise performance of “The Routine” at our wedding reception. The best surprise and tribute to our love of Friends.

All this to say, Friends is universally loved. And so are you. I watch it very little these days but I’m grateful that when I do you always come to mind.