How We Talk About the Weather When We Mean Something Else

Small talk as emotional shorthand.

When we say “Nice out today,” are we actually saying “I’m here, and I need connection”?

But I’m about to get in the shower—is such a small sentence. We say it quickly, almost out of habit especially in texts. Let me get in the shower real quick and I’ll call you after. But have you ever thought about what we’re actually saying when we say it? It’s not just about hygiene. It’s not about the water pressure or the lavender-scented soap. It’s a subtle way of saying:

I’m not disappearing.

I’ll be right back.

I want you to know where I’m going, even if it’s only for 15 minutes.

And we don’t say it to everyone. You’re not telling random coworkers or distant acquaintances that you’re about to shower. That phrase is reserved. It slips out only when you’re comfortable enough with someone to include them in the ordinary. When you’ve reached the level of connection where even the most mundane update is worth sharing.

I notice it most when I'm dating someone or growing close to someone new. That moment when the back-and-forth is steady, easy, flowing and then, a pause. But instead of ghosting or vanishing into a stretch of hours, one of us says, “I’m about to jump in the shower.” And it always lands a little softer than it needs to. It says: You still matter while I take this moment for myself.

That’s presence, even in absence. That’s the energy I value these days, the ones who make space for life’s small intermissions without disappearing from the conversation altogether. So yeah, I smile a little when I read that text. It might not be romantic or profound on the surface, but to me? It’s kind of sweet. It’s a little note that says:

I’m still here.

It’s funny how often we reach for the ordinary to express something deeper.

Nice out today.

I’m about to get in the shower.

Different settings, same heart. Small talk, casual updates, these are the bridges we build when we want to stay connected without saying too much. They’re our soft ways of checking in, of being present, of saying I see you or I want to be seen.

And when we learn to listen closely, to feel the emotion tucked beneath the routine, we realize none of it is really small at all.

It’s connection, dressed in the everyday.

O.B. TramueL