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Glamour's Women of the Year
UD vs. Northern Kentucky
Magic visits with area students
On Labor Day, workers consider balance between home, work
> How do you keep the balance in your life?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
DAYTON — You wouldn't guess it from her work schedule: Teresa Gonzalvo is working the 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Labor Day shift as Good Samaritan Hospital converts all of its paper charts to computerized ones.
And you wouldn't guess it from her normal 60-hour work week as the hospital's director of Integrated Care Management.
But Gonzalvo is living proof that women can indeed manage to achieve balance in their lives.
"In doing so, I am a happier wife, mother, boss, nurse and, most of all, a better human being," says the Beavercreek woman.
Not many of us accomplish that goal, but it's a subject worth contemplating, especially on Labor Day.
"About 80 percent of the women we interviewed felt their lives were out of whack and that they didn't have balance in their lives," reports Susan Callahan, co-author of the recently-published "Mothers Need Time-Outs, Too." Only 20 percent felt they had achieved some balance."
So how does Gonzalvo, 56, manage to do it all? For starters, she takes advantage of her employer's health and wellness programs — Zumba classes, massage therapy and Weight Watcher's meetings. She makes it a point to grab bits of time for herself throughout the day — reading the newspaper or a magazine or taking a short walk. And she and her husband derive pleasure and fulfillment by volunteering for the Philippine-American Society of Greater Dayton and preserving their heritage.
Her philosophy is worth consideration: "The choice that I make is to do things for the right reasons."
Comments
By Jaime
September 2, 2008 9:15 PM | Link to this
I’m the husband. Teresa and I have been married for 30 years and still going. She supported me while I was in the Air Force and had to put her career on hold as we had to move on average every 3 years. Now, it’s my turn to support her. I still work full time also averaging 50-60 hours per week. But that doesn’t stop us from spending time together. We are a team!! Divorce? Not part of the equation.
By Teresa Gonzalvo
September 1, 2008 11:32 PM | Link to this
Appreciate everyone’s feedback! Good Samaritan Hospital’s mission is to take care of all patients. Our social workers and case managers deal with uncompensated care, indigent patients, the homeless as well as the uninsured. This is just part of what I do every day, help look for community resources, prescription assistance,etc. These take time, energy and resources, as the economy gets challenging. God bless my husband for understanding and supporting this role. He is retired from the Air Force.
By Jasmine
September 1, 2008 10:57 PM | Link to this
As Teresa Gonzalvo’s daughter, I would say that my mom served as an inspirational role model throughout my entire life; displaying a strong work ethic, advocating good family values, & taking time to enjoy life. Both my parents, still happily married, have always made an effort to support my sister & I. I appreciate my mom’s hard work and strength that have contributed to my success & happiness today. To emphasize the point of the article, effectively balancing home & work life is possible.
By Shawn
September 1, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this
I agree with April and Wazu. She is 56, she is enjoying making money rather than spending time with her husband. Also, she could spend 20 hours with her children. Sounds like all this time away from home will cause a divorse. He better start working 8o+ hours a week soon!!!
By Mike
September 1, 2008 8:28 PM | Link to this
What an irony that a health-care worker is forced to do the work of one-and-a-half employees at a hospital. Want to bet that Good Sam does that to keep from paying benefits for?
By Mike
September 1, 2008 8:27 PM | Link to this
What an irony that a health-care worker is forced to do the work of one-and-a-half employees at a hospital. Want to bet that Good Sam does that to keep from paying benefits for?
By Hope
September 1, 2008 7:21 PM | Link to this
When you’re young and have kids that need to be taken care of, and that many hours of work, I don’t see how it can be done. I have three stepchildren =)I work a 40hr work week and so does my husband, we do the best we can. It’s sort of a balancing act, but if we had to work all of those hours, plus the kids, it wouldn’t work.
By Wazu
September 1, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this
She’s 56, her kids are probably grown, and like most young people in Dayton, have moved away, so she doesn’t have to care for them. Working 60 hours a week keeps her away from her husband, she probably loves that!
By April
September 1, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this
How can working 60 hours be conducive to being a better mother? Those extra 20 hours could be spent on the children.
By Janice
September 1, 2008 7:23 AM | Link to this
By taking Paxil every evening.