Some days at work, I sit here at my desk and think, “There is no way people would believe what goes on here on a daily basis!”

You might think working at a non-profit which deals with a horrible disease like breast cancer would be pretty sobering. While that can be true some days, for example when we heard of the untimely death of Elizabeth Edwards this week, most days at the PBCC are full of fun and laughter.

One example of this is our annual staff photo. Since we hire a great professional photographer to capture the events of our October conference on film (boy, isn’t that phrase out-of-date now that we all use digital cameras!) we use that opportunity to have a staff photo taken. Here is the one we had taken this year.

Another fun time is our weekly staff meeting. Not a meeting goes by that we don’t diverge off into some crazy tangent for a few minutes. And getting us back on track can sometimes be a chore! We also have assigned tasks each week. One of us is in charge of inspiration – reading some heartwarming quote or story to the group. Someone else provides a word of the day which we all try to work into the meeting. Our competitiveness sometimes comes out and things can get a little crazy. Imagine trying to use the words “soporific”, “perspicacious” or “bloviate” in casual conversation! And another staffer shares some sort of tip, which could be a book or movie recommendation, a favorite recipe, some work-related advice or even just life lessons. Some past tips included ways to winterize your home, how to create an edible snack bowl out of Chex Mix, and how to survive a nuclear attack. As you can imagine, our meetings often devolve into howls of laughter.

I feel so blessed and grateful to work in an office where laughter, fun and smiles are the norm. I get to meet such special people in the breast cancer community and I get to work in a fun, relaxed office atmosphere. What more could I want?