There are No Doors at NHCO's North Borough’s Office

By Angie Elnyczky-Collins, NHCO Programs and Outreach Manager

There are no doors at NHCO's North Borough’s office.

I was intimidated when I started working in the Bellevue/Avalon office. It was my first foray into the nonprofit world. The first weeks were always intimidating, but there was something more. It was the cubicles. I was afraid everyone else in the office would hear everything I said. I would try to talk quietly on the phone - I never did learn how to whisper. It took a while to realize how easily it fades into the background. 

Some days I think it's just noise; on my better days, I hear the music. 

There is always something playing in the background - classical, rock, and all that jazz in between. The office adds its own accompaniment. The clicks of fingers hitting keys. The dull background of four, five, six voices going at once. The laughter. The sighing. The phones ringing. The crying. 

Cathy sings happy birthday on the answering machine for a now 75-year-old. Teri carries a toddler around the office, rocking and cooing him while mom fills out paperwork. Mick grabs pom-poms from his desk to literally cheer on his client's success. Gregg reassures an older neighbor asking for help: "talking to you was the best part of my day."

When someone leaves the office- co-worker or volunteer- a chorus of goodbyes follows them, each louder and more obnoxious than the last. 

I know there are times when all five of us wish we had a door to shut. A way to close off. A way to privacy. A way to decompress. But there are no doors at North Boroughs. There is a steady, silent current to keep the beat like a metronome: the heart. It's the music of people helping people. 

The office is alive.