Properly affirming female friendships is no easy feat but Milwaukee-based consultant Kelly Hanover, 27, is in the midst of attempting to master the nuanced process of telling you how much she loves you all.
“You need to wait for the right moment to let your girls know how much you love them,” Hanover said. “You know, that perfect time when everyone starts bonding and laughing and feeling each other but before anyone starts drunk-crying in the bathroom.”
Recently, Hanover has been exceptionally pleased with her current group of work BFFs, and believes she has finally found the right moment to tell them.
“We see each other every day. So we’ve definitely gone through the rounds of complimenting each other’s clothes and hair,” Hanover said. “But telling them all how much I love them—that’s a big thing you don’t want to blurt out at the wrong moment.”
Hanover disclosed that she almost shared her love for everyone at lunch on Tuesday.
“We were all having a really great time at Chipotle, but then Maria opened up about her estranged mother coming back into her life and it brought the energy down a little I was like, um okay I guess I’ll wait.” Hanover said. “I need a more buoyant moment like when we’re all bonding over our fave rom-com hunks or laughing about the time Lisa fell down.”
The need to constantly affirm her friendships is a task that Hanover does not take lightly.
“One time, as soon as I said it, the waiter brought over our mozzarella sticks. Everyone was super distracted and it just didn’t land.” She said, her eyes welling up. “You want it to go right—for everyone to be like, ‘OMG me too!’”
Timing is something Hanover has worked on for years.
“I have to wait until everyone has had at least two drinks,” Hanover elaborated. “I also have to make sure I can say it before Laura complains that she has a headache and leaves.”
At press, Kelly Hanover was dead set on delivering the compliment at tonight’s happy hour.
“I left work early to come here and prepare. I’m so excited to tell my girls how much I love them!”
