…The Rest Is His Story

Eleanor’s Proverbs

Sass, wisdom, and witty comebacks for the workplace and life.

  • If I Could Un-Invent Something

    It would be the speed. The way everything learned how to rushbefore we did. I don’t wish away phones, or the internet, or the ability to connect.I just wish we hadn’t trained ourselvesto respond before we reflect,to react before we… Continue reading

  • I Don’t Have a Sentence for Your Wall — I Have a Portrait

    Someone said,“A mission should be big.”So I tried to stand taller, I lengthen my neck.I soften my eyes.I tilt my head just enoughthat my soul has room to breathe.But still I tripped over the question. I have never trusted questions… Continue reading

  • I Don’t Fit Inside First Impressions

    “What’s the first impression you want to give people?” If I’m honest, I don’t think much about first impressions.Not because I’m careless, but because I’m a storyteller who knows that one voice is never enough to explain a whole heart.… Continue reading

  • If You Could Not See Me

    I watch the wind, not the rain.I am gentle but alert—the way a bird perches on a power line,still, but not unaware. You won’t know the color of my eyes,but you’ll feel them study you softly. If you could not… Continue reading

  • “Retirement Isn’t Where I’m Going—It’s How I’ve Chosen to Stay”

    I’ve asked myself how I wish to retire—and instantly found myself blinking at the question. And still… the answer does not come. The world, of course, had no hesitation.It offered a checklist.A finish line marked by dollar signs,pastel oceans,smiling stock-photo… Continue reading

  • “Fuhgeddaboudit”

    Because “Fuhgeddaboudit” can mean: incredible, impossible, forgiven, or final—because sometimes one word is enough to say it all, without saying too much. Let me explain. I’m behind the bar in a burgundy velvet dress, wiping down a shot glass that’s… Continue reading

  • “The Affair I Had in a French Café”

    Here in the United States, coffee is a necessity. It’s an accessory. It’s the fuel behind every hustle and the badge of every busybody. We don’t sip it. We chase it. We order it before we leave the house, pick… Continue reading

  • Do I Practice Religion?

    It is as though my life were a song,trapped in the chorus.I rehearse, and rehearse again—and do not live it. You astonish me.And I don’t startle easily. Do I practice religion?What a peculiar daily prompt. It tiptoes in, pretending to… Continue reading

  • The Way Station

    “The Way Station” Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often? Yes, I do — because without it, I’d be a song without a melody, just scattered notes on the breeze. “This is the… Continue reading

  • “Jesus, take the syllables. I can’t.”

    There I was. Sitting in the holy circle of folding chairs. Minding my own business. Things started out peaceful, as usual. We’ve got coffee, highlighters, people nodding with purpose, and a light sprinkle of “mmm-hmm” to let the leader know… Continue reading