Is that what I want for myself? It’s starting to look like a habit… re: blogging every second week. That’s not my plan, but it’s turning out to be that way. Normally, I would like to blog to reflect on my week but also think about some of the lessons learned during that week. Moreover, blogging often helped me as a warm-up to work. Is this something that I am making up? I think I am, but lately, I have not been prioritizing my blog time as part of my “things to do.” Blogging would be something that I looked forward to, particularly on the weekends. I would also blog when I was inspired so more than one blog post would emerge from the week. Now, I perceive blogging like work (i.e., something that I have to do). Blogging is not part of my work, but maintaining a reflective practice is part of my work. Anyway, here I am… two weeks later… writing my blog post… on a Monday.
If anything, I do need to get motivated or geared up to do the list of things I need to do. I have been prioritizing sleep and rest. Unfortunately, last weekend I opted to work… and I did… all weekend. By the time the week rolled around, I was somewhat tired, I needed a lot more to recover from the day, and my days remained fairly full. As a result, things that did not get done just spill over into the next week. Last Friday, after two weeks of full-output with respect to ending the term and doing additional work I have signed up for, I had nothing left in me after an afternoon meeting that day. The weather dipped deep into the cold, it was snowing, and I just wanted to REST… and so I did… all weekend, guilt-free. I just needed the time to restore myself. I had no idea that recycling, vacuuming, and doing my laundry would have such a restorative effect on me.
I was not in the mood for anything Friday night. I did not have the will. I did some housework on Saturday, as mentioned. On Sunday, I just slept in, took a nap, and chilled for most of the day. I did not even want to blog, so here I am on a Monday afternoon, the day after winter solstice. Dang, it did get dark early yesterday. And, I made my kid and her boyfriend dinner. I cleaned up and just enjoyed my time with my cat. I’m becoming one of those ladies… a cat-lady… and, I’m liking it. I was looking forward to the next couple of days to catch up on a very big list on some very big things to complete that rolled into this week from the last few weeks and beyond. Sadly, I almost missed the one Monday morning meeting I had scheduled. Holy moly… there needs to be a balance between rest and work. I am loving BE A PERSON Saturdays, but it does trickle into Friday nights and Sundays. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but it does make the week full.
If anything, I am not complaining, but I am honestly grateful to have this work to do. I love what I am doing. I love where I am. And, I love the people that I get to work with. In the end, prioritizing my time only highlights what’s important to me. All of what I am doing is important and I have learned to walk away from things that do not fill my cup, sucks up too much energy, or I do not love to do. So, how lucky am I? VERY LUCKY.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, December 22nd, 2025 | Comments Off on Prioritizing My Time
Oops. I missed a week of blogging. It was the final stretch of the fall term. I could not (or did not) prioritize my weekly blog. Rest seems to be of high priority, next to closing off my classes. I am really happy how my classes ended even though I still need to distribute my course evaluation form for a couple of classes. It was a tech issue, which I think is now resolved (meaning, I figured it out). I should be sending them out soon, but on weekends, I have accustomed myself to take the “be a person” time and enjoy every moment… and to REST, which I needed. No regrets, just shopping.
So, what I am doing this week is accepting final assignments for the classes I taught this term. I finished teaching last week (and launched a research project with hopes of folks participating… TBD). I was so happy how each of my classes ended. It was unexpected, meaning, I am always adapting and reflecting in my practice. It’s difficult to stick to a course syllabus when things change over time (i.e., stat holidays, opportunities, and broken plans). Although the course syllabus is a contract between me and the students, I am so grateful that they are so willing to adapt and go with the flow. Sometimes I think it’s more me who is having troubles with change rather than the students. As a result, I felt self-conscious or worried that I was not “on the right track.” Needless to say, I think the classes went well and this term flew by (with a whole bunch of things on the go).
My Tuesday night class ended with our last roundtable (i.e., chapter reflections) and formative presentation of their infographic. My Wednesday night class ended with their infographic presentations and then a guest speaker from the school district. That was so amazing. I am so grateful. And finally, my Thursday morning class ended with the members of the district student advisory committee. Nine high school students came to the university with the lead teacher and school administrator to share their thoughts about teaching and learning and encouraging the teacher candidates to FIND THEIR WHY for teaching. The conversations and presentations were thoughtful, candid, and playful. I appreciated their willingness to step away from school in the morning to be with us and they planned and facilitated the whole morning. The “adults in the room” supported these students, but really we just created space for them to have voice. The teacher candidates enjoyed the session. It was a powerful morning and a great way to end the term.
Which brings me to the topic of this week’s (or last week’s) blog post. This year (i.e., 2025), it took me a long time to figure out my One-Word. I like to do One-Word as a means of goal setting, or dare I say, set a new year’s resolution. It’s a word that I can focus on and develop over time. It’s not specific enough to get disappointed of unachieved expectations, but specific enough to stay focussed and have opportunities to reflect and discern how things are going. This year’s #OneWord2025 was LOVE. And yes, I feel that I have fully achieved that word. I love my work, I love my kid and cat, I love where I live, and I love ME. These are all very good things. #OneWord2024 was HAPPY. And I needed to do that too to figure out what made me happy… and figure out my values, my boundaries, and my likes. This year, my one word for 2026 came to me relatively early. I’m really looking forward to 2026. Some days, I just need to “jump in.” My #OneWord2026 is PRACTICE. I feel that it’s something that I need to do in all aspects of my life. I look forward to this word and what it will bring. Let’s see how this goes…
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, December 08th, 2025 | Comments Off on One-Word for 2026
My kid was hanging out in my office for a bit last week. I invited her to see a talk with me on Friday afternoon. she agreed to go with me as she had a couple of meetings after the presentation. We went to my office to charge her iPad and she started looking at some of my collectables in my office. One of the things she found was my dad’s slide rule. She asked, “What is this?” I said it was a slide rule. She said, “What is it used for?” I knew it was used for mathematics, but of course, I looked online to see what the slide rule is really (see image below). It’s used for math… for logarithms, exponents, trigonometry, etc. It was a device used before calculators. She then asked me if I knew how to use it or if I ever used it for school. The answer was no and no, but I did say to her that it was one of those gems that I took from my dad as a keepsake. My brother and I have so many memories of things that were in the house that we remember as a kid (i.e., a copper globe that opened up and it was a cigarette holder… LOL).
Anyway, we started talking about logarithms. I asked her if she know what a logarithm was. She did not take Pre-Calculus Math 12, so I wondered what she knew about logarithms. She was not aware of logarithms, so I started talking to her about it. I started to give her some examples, orally, and then asked her some questions. Through trial and error, she started to get the concept. This activity was so fun. It reminds me when she was 3 of 4 years old and I’m teaching her about square roots when we were driving in the car. Yes, it’s true. We did math problems in the car instead of singing or telling stories. I talked math… and she would get it. So, it was really cool for me to see that she was getting logarithms base 10. So of course, I changed the base and started asking her different questions. She started to get it. Classic mom… I asked her what was log 1? Hence the picture, we needed to talk and write it out in terms of a logic using exponents. I was so impressed that my kid persisted. LOL. I thought it was a good sign even though she ended the conversation with “I was never good at math.” I would strongly disagree.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slide_rule
Here is what I love more… the next day, she asks me… “When do we use logarithms anyway?” She insisted that I give examples… and so I did. Example 1: Earthquakes and the Richter Scale. Example 2: pH values and acidity of solutions. I think I might have impressed her. LOL. I’m giggling… with joy and wonder. I love that my kid was interested in mathematics. I took joy in her curiosity and willingness to learn and engage. I mean, I’m her mom. I can get potentially annoying and I’m talking math!! Finally, I took much joy in talking about math and I loved teaching math to her and with her. I did say to her that I was not the smartest in mathematics, but I did ok. She said I was smart. I said, I taught high school mathematics for more than a decade. You just get better at it over time. Anyway, that experience told me that I would love to go back to K-12 education teach math. In the meantime, I am teaching numeracy to elementary teacher candidates. That, in itself, has so much to learn as well. Math is too fun and that’s where my joy sits.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, November 23rd, 2025 | Comments Off on Talking Math
Here is a photo of me watching my cat watching a cat documentary on Netflix last night (aka. on “be a person day” – Saturday – a guilt-free, work-free day). I was super curious about my cat watching the documentary, but I was also curious about the value of reading break. For me, I needed it. The last month getting a little overwhelmed with my workload with teaching and various projects on the go. Although I adhered to my “be a person day” as best as I could, my stress level was over the top. I had troubles sleeping. Tasks with a timeline were always on my mind. It weighed heavily. Even though I used the time during reading break to get some tasks completed, I needed the additional time to think clearly about what was required to get those tasks done in addition to grounding myself in a pace that is sustainable and more aligned to how I want to operate. I needed to have a good night’s rest. After one week, I’ve had a few good nights sleep. Yay!!
I am not complaining. I am so grateful to do the work that I do, but I am no longer driven by the hustle-culture. What I am driven by are working with people who collectively want to work towards the same goal, to build my capacity as a researcher and educator, and connecting with others to create places and space where we can all thrive. That’s it. I just realized that I have signed up for a few things that is spilling over my cup, but I am grateful that there is so much for me to find joy in and engage in activities that challenge me. I only have gratitude. I am feeling challenged in ways that are nourishing and I am reminded by “the perfect curling shot.” Although I am not curling this season, I am reminded of the end from a couple of years ago. I was working and playing around with “A Curling Mindset.” Just focus on what matters and everything else will fall into place. This mindset requires trust, vision, and confidence. It also requires removing the noise.
If anything, I do appreciate the fact that I am willing to take time for myself. Friday nights, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday. This blocked time has created some balance, but also, I don’t have to panic about anything else. I can only do what I can do… and that’s it. I am happy with the work that I am doing and I hope to hone my skills, time management, and contributions. I am really appreciative of where I live, the work that I get to do, and for the time reading break has afforded so that I don’t have to walk through the world numb, fearful, and stressed. I hope that the students appreciated the time to get grounded, rest, and catch up on any work, if needed. Tomorrow marks the return to the regular work week for the fall, and blogging also marks me re-entering the work week. I loved the slow pace of the weekend and I am ready for this work week.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, November 16th, 2025 | Comments Off on Goodbye Reading Break
It’s a time to remember all those who fought in the war for our freedom. I am so grateful for the freedom and quality of life I have in Canada as a second-generation Chinese-Canadian woman. Despite some systemic and societal struggles as a person of colour, I have led a wonderful life and I have much to thank to the veterans and those who continue to protect and fight for our country. I recognized that I am very privileged and my struggles are ones that are personal to me and I have the opportunity to discern, wonder, and reflect. Lately, I have been appreciating the little things like where I live, what I am eating, and what I am doing. It’s the little things that I am able to appreciate, enjoy, and have gratitude for. I feel very lucky and safe to be where I am today.
And, when I say things like I LOVE WHERE I AM… I continue to struggle with other things like MY NAME. It’s so frustrating. I can see why identity and self-knowledge are underpinnings to my teaching practice in the teacher education program. For some reason at the university, my name changed from “Christine Ho Younghusband” to “Christine Younghusband.” All of my platforms associated to the university has changed my name (back) to Christine Younghusband. Why does this matter? I struggled with the idea of having my name as Christine Ho Younghusband when I came to the university. I wanted to honour my family’s name but also my married name. I never liked the name I was born with (aka. Alice Christine Ho) and I had always gone with the name “Christine” which is somewhat acceptable, and in my formative years as “Chris.” Doctor’s or bank offices love to use the name “Alice” and my last name is often considered to be “Younghusband” versus “Ho Younghusband.” This name thing is tough when you are in academia. You are trying to create a brand with your name, but also some name recognition.
I know this notion of MY NAME seems almost ridiculous to even speak of, but it’s a pain in the (you know what). Now that I reflect on it, on the one hand, I don’t really like my name as a whole (I mean… who’s Alice?), and on the other hand, I don’t seem to have a lot of control what name I would like to go by (even when I ask for it to be noted or changed). Is this a self-knowledge issue? An identity issue? Or sense of agency and belonging issue? If anything, my name has been a struggle. Yes, I could change it, and I tried, but for whatever reason (aka. a system update), my name reverted back to what it was??? When students and peers ask me what my name is and why I had changed my name, I have no answer but a complex and convoluted one. What is more interesting is, it was super awkward to transition into the name “Christine Ho Younghusband” 7 years ago, but now going back to “Christine Younghusband” does not feel right… much like “Christine Ho,” “Alice Younghusband,” or “Alice Christine Ho” are not quite right. Oof. It’s a thing.
I will ponder this situation while being grateful for my freedom and for those who fought in wars to provide freedom to our country. I feel very lucky, regardless of my name.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, November 11th, 2025 | Comments Off on My Name is a Struggle
I cannot believe it’s November. Where has the time gone? Although the family reunions with members from my family from G1 (my dad’s generation), G2 (my generation), and G3 (my kid’s generation) have gathered together in Vancouver this weekend (and the G1 sisters went to Vancouver Island last week with my cousin and her husband), the gathering continues for another couple of days. For me, I’m heading back to work and heading back home to Prince George. That said, I’ve had two and a bit days spending time with my family… reconnecting, getting to know one another, and having good times around food and various activities. One of those activities was curling. From what I am hearing, it was a highlight of the reunion. We went to the Marpole Curling Club and we took sheets 1 and 2. They also had club volunteers to help out with teaching us on how to sweep, throw a rock, and how to play. We were on Ice 1. Our couch was firm, formative, and enthusiastic about the game. Most of my cousins and nieces and nephews never played curling before. My sister, on the other hand, was a like returning home and was a super star!! I, on the other hand, remain injured and helped out with the coaching, took photos, and learned how to play with the stick. I enjoyed learning something new. We had a great time. On Ice 1, we managed to learn how to play and play 3-ends of the game within 2-hours and Ice 2 learned how to sweep and throw rocks. We had a great time. Time flew by before having to leave for dinner at my brother’s place where we had sushi, played intro to Majong, and watched Game 7 of the World Series. The night before, we met at my aunt’s place for Chinese take-out and we watched Game 6, before curling we had dim sum, and last night we went out to the Dynasty Restaurant for an authentic Chinese dinner. Everything was delicious. I really enjoyed connecting with everyone. I loved the photos my cousin shared. I feel very lucky.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, November 03rd, 2025 | Comments Off on Back on the Ice Again
First, I would like to acknowledge that today is NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY. I am feeling super proud and excited. It’s the first one I have celebrated. Simon joined our little family when I moved into my new place last year in November. We have not been in this house yet for a year, and we have the opportunity to celebrate black cats, more specifically, Simon. She moved into the house on the first day we got possession of the house and she even slept overnight at the house with the kid. She welcomed her new home and we could not imagine life without her. You you, Simon!! It’s your day!!
Second, I was planning to write about my weekend at Vancouver. I went to the CATE (Canadian Association for Teacher Education) Fall Working Conference 2025 at UBC. Because I was so budget-conscious, I opted to leave on the 5:30am flight out of Prince George on Thursday and taught my 8:30-11:20am class remotely from the WhiteSpot restaurant at YVR. Aside from spending a fair amount on UBER and taxi, and early morning start to the day, I really enjoyed the CATE Working Conference. The working conference is intended to be formative, supportive, and mentoring to early scholars (and experienced) to publish a chapter. The topic of this book is about relationality and place-based or land-based learning. I had submitted a proposal in the summer to co-author with 3 recent teacher education graduates. We submitted twice to ensure a clear connection to teacher education and we were accepted to participate. That said, the three “new teachers” were not able to attend the working conference, and I was there to represent the crew. Admittedly, I was not sure what to expect and I did spend some time re-navigating our proposal in terms of approach and methodology. We were grouped with “Working with Indigenous Communities.”
From what I understand, at this point in time, there is a potential to have 26 chapters in this e-book. That means, there were at least 26 submissions to participate in the fall working conference and thus, we were all subdivided into small groups based on theme or commonalities. I thought I would have been put in the “pedagogies” group, but that was not the case. The small working groups are revealed at the conference at the beginning of day 2. The first day was more about gathering and listening to the first keynote speaker, Dr. Jan Hare, the Dean of the UBC Faculty of Education and new Canadian Research Chair for Indigenous Pedagogies. She shared part of her recent work and presented on “Shifting the Curricular Landscape of Teacher Education Through Land Education.” The talk was thought-provoking, and then we went out for dinner at a restaurant on campus. Day 2 was the REAL working day, and Day 3 was more about finishing up any work on Day 2 for any of the small working groups and then reconvening to share our project, feedback, and next steps with the entire group. It was a fast 3 days, and I loved every minute of it. I loved connecting, learning, and feeling connected.
Finally, the heart of this blog post (aside from National Black Cat Day), will focus on Day 2. When I found out my group and theme, I was not certain if I was in the right group. We started Day 2 with a quick check in and then we went into our small working groups. After a few quick introductions, we started to go in numerical order (each blind proposal was numbered) to provide feedback to each author. We were strategic and proceeded to give each author group 18 minutes or so with feedback and discussion. Our small group is the photo above. As each paper proceeded, we started to build up lots of momentum. Each paper topic was so interesting yet interrelated or at least relatable to each of the papers/authors. We had rich feedback and discussion on each proposal. When it came time to stop and watch a panel that was being video streamed in, we opted to keep going with the feedback discussions. Of 7 author groups, we finished 4 in the morning, and then 3 in the afternoon. I felt that we honoured each of our proposals and provided feedback respectfully and wholeheartedly. I was certain after our day together that I was in the right group. I feel very happy and grateful. I could feel the joy growing amongst us.
Midday, we had a wonderful presentation by Dr. Jennifer Tatabe from the University of Auckland, providing a talk titled, “Shifting Ground: Exploring Place and Equity in Aotearoa New Zealand.” It was a super engaging talk and it’s a phenomenon that’s happening everywhere. I loved that talk. Before lunch, UBC Faculty member, Indigenous scholar, and teacher educator Marny Point spoke to the whole group about the territory and the First Peoples Principles of Learning. Even though it was originally intended to be a walking tour, the RAIN was relentless. LOL. All is good. She gave each of us a piece of cedar from her back yard. I just loved it. And, I was reminded of the First Peoples Principles of Learning and the work was are doing in BC education. I also appreciated the dinners out on Friday night at UBC and on Saturday at Hydra in downtown Vancouver. It was an excellent opportunity to connect and meet new people. There were many familiar faces, and many more to meet and learn more about. In the end, I had a tonne of fun and learned lots.
On Friday, I was having a conversation with a colleague and he was sharing a story about how he met a particular person. I said it was SERENDIPITY (definition: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way [Google]). Ooo… I love that definition. He said, it was RELATIONAL (definition: concerning the way in which two or more people or things are connected [Google]). I was taken a back by that response, but I don’t disagree. Throughout the weekend, I continued to think about the SYNERGY (definition: the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects [Google]) forming within the small group and pondered the notions of relationality and serendipity. I am left to wonder, could it be both? Maybe it’s not one or the other, but the intersection between the two terms. Nonetheless, I loved the weekend and feel VALIDATED, seen, and heard at this conference. Thank you small group, and thank you to the facilitators, presenters, and authors for making this event so wonderful.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 27th, 2025 | Comments Off on Serendipity Semantics
Although I could only validate my week’s experience with my sister, who seemed to be having a similar week, I felt like when “it rains, it pours.” Everything seemed to be happening all at once. Nothing “bad” happened, with exception to not handing in one more conference presentation for myself for an organization I am volunteering for, but everything seemed to require my time and attention. Unfortunately, I could not accomplish all that I wanted to get done… something had to give. GB to my conference proposal… LOL. Sad, not sad. If anything, it is brought to my attention that the topic I wanted to present about is important to me. If anything, I have more time to investigate that topic as well as consider another conference.
You have to see the “cup half full” sometimes. As soon as I “let go” of the idea of submitting a proposal, I could feel some relief in the stress and tension I was experiencing last week. It seemed like all was a flurry after the long weekend and the four day work week was fulsome to say the least. I just was not sure what was happening last week, but I could not establish my footing, nevertheless rest, last week. My kid definitely noticed I was running on fumes and I am hoping my classes did not pick that up (even though I spoke about my week explicitly). By Friday, I am grateful to have a friend/colleague to hold some space from me to listen to my little rant, and then have the rest of the day to get back on track with things. Sadly, some things remain TBD.
After finishing some work for one study and having a meeting with another colleague to figure out what I needed to do for another project, I threw in the towel and opted to go out for dinner that night with the kid. I did not feel like cooking. Truthfully, I refused to cook. I could not do it. I was spent. And, guess what? I think everyone else seemed to have the same idea because the restaurant I wanted to go to was full. Admittedly, I was not 100% if they were full but the parking lot was full as well as the roadsides. My dinner dreams were dashed. We went to another restaurant and we were sat at a table near the back of the restaurant near washroom. The restaurant was full. We took the table and the service and food were good. Thank goodness, but even the dinner experience seemed to exemplify the vibe of last week. Nothing bad, some concessions made, and it was BUSY.
After dinner on Friday, the kid and I went to a couple of places to shop and walk around. I bought a couple clothing items from Costco and soup dumplings, of course (they were on sale), then we went home and I actively rested on the LazyBoy chair with the fire place on and my cat on my lap. It was pure bliss. I had full intentions of blogging yesterday (aka., on Saturday, that is, “be a person day”), but my body and mind said, NOPE. It’s be a person day. I recycled, changed the filters in my fridge, went food shopping, cooked a few things, cleaned up the house a bit, played a few video games on my phone, and well… hung out with my cat on the LazyBoy chair. That’s it. I needed to rest. No guilt. It’s Saturday. I think that I have mastered being ok with resting. That’s what I did last weekend during Thanksgiving, but felt that the week unravelled in a way that I did not anticipate. I am wondered if Karma was getting back at me for taking some time off last weekend. I put that inquiry forward to my students in all of my classes. It’s a constant dilemma for teachers. Rest, then work… or is it rest and work. I chose rest.
If anything, it’s Sunday. I feel rested. I had two wonderful sleeps on Friday and Saturday nights. I am caught up on my email, I have done my laundry, I cleaned up my office, and now… maybe… it’s time to return back to work. Although some would say that there is no work-life balance, while others claim that there is. For me, I just have to listen to myself and how I am feeling. It’s ok to say no or get things off your plate to make things happen. It’s also ok to REST and enjoy life. Do what’s best for you despite what’s happening around you. This week was a good reminder of who overwhelmed my work can be and it’s ok to just do what you can do, try your best, and feel satisfied. And, I do.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 19th, 2025 | Comments Off on Was it a Full Moon
Finally… I am listening to my body. I am always bringing my laptop downstairs with the hopes and intentions of doing work while sitting in my LazyBoy reclining chair and listening to Dr. G. Medical Examiner on YouTube via my TV. Over and over again I engage in this behaviour thinking that the next day will be a new day and I’ll jump into my work. Albert Einstein said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (citation affirmed by Google). I even knew that going to my office upstairs would be the most ideal and only way to get work done, unless I wanted to go to work and sit at my desk there. Anyway, I am HERE, sitting at my desk, upstairs, and blogging, which is a warm-up to doing work. Yay!! I’m here and working!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!!
Can you believe that it’s mid-October? I cannot. I have no idea where time is going to, but I am grateful to be here with my health, my cat, my kid, my work, and my place where I live. I have a lot to be grateful for and I am. I made turkey dinner last night. It took me about 6-hours to cook, 20-minutes to eat, and a couple of hours to clean up. Wowza. Preparing the dinner for me and my kid took most of my day and there was no way I was getting to any work last night. I also underestimated the time it would take for the turkey to cook and we ate at about 8:30pm last night. It was a late dinner with lots of snacks in between. My kid made note to me that it was a long time since I made turkey dinner. I could not remember when I made turkey dinner last. She said it was likely when I live in my other house. DAMN. That is at least 8-years ago. I’m guessing, but that has been quite some time. Admittedly, I am not looking forward to the next time. I think I’ll do what my twin brother does, especially when I live alone one day. I’ll get turkey dinner from WhiteSpot. Keep it simple. That was a lot of work for 20 minutes of eating.
I also spent the weekend resting. I had a tonne to do, of course, and I am grateful to have this work, but I needed to take a time out. I was not burning out, but I have been spending almost 2 years on focusing on myself and self-care. I am really trying to disengage from the hustle-culture and participate in work that I need to do, want to do, and rest when I need to. My teaching days of Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays heighten my workload (even though that is my workload). I am also engaged in a few research projects and projects for my department that also takes some of my time. I always appreciate Saturdays as “be a person day” where I can spend that day any way I want, guilt free. It could entail work, or not. All is good. Last week, I hosted a guest speaker in my teacher education class to help facilitate the blanket exercise. It’s a super powerful exercise depicting Canadian history from an Indigenous perspective.
In preparation for this class, I brought the blankets from home. I brought one garbage bag the night before prior to my night class, and a few other bags the next morning. I was so shocked how many people stopped to ask if I needed help. One offered me a ride to the front door. I declined. One person offered to carry a bag the next morning (I was carrying a few), and I accepted. Another person offered to carry a bag back to my car. I refused the help. And, the students in the class helped to set up the room and then folded the blankets after class ended while moving the tables and chairs in places in preparation for the next class. Overall, I was so touched by the gestures. No prompting. No soliciting. People just offered. Strangers to me (with exception to my students). I thought it aligned perfectly to the outcomes of the blanket exercise… meaning, people are kind, compassionate, and generous. My faith in humanity restored, especially after a very emotional and disturbing exercise about Canadian history. Thank you for your kindness.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 13th, 2025 | Comments Off on Faith in Humanity
I cannot believe it’s October… and, I cannot believe I’m 55. What an accomplishment. I even tested my blood pressure a couple of days ago at the pharmacy. It was the first time I got “OPTIMAL” with 115/77. Yay for medication!! I also think that I have taken some intentionality to REST and not be burdened or driven by the THE CHASE and trying to prove myself to someone. The only person I need to impress is myself. That thinking and this way of being is pure LIBERATION. Dang. I am really appreciating my 50’s and lots have happened over the last 5 years, and many years prior, to bring to this place. There were definite ups and downs, struggles and victories, but I would not have it any other way. I had to learn exactly what I needed to learn when I did. No regrets. All is good.
I just loved my birthday and how it manifested. I had no expectations. I feel very humbled and loved. Thank you to my students, my kid, and my friends for making the day so special. I am filled with gratitude and happiness. When I look at all of the well-wishes online via social media, DM, text, email, or in-person, I can see how diverse and wonderful my life has been. I often think I lead a “boring” life, but really, I have done many different things in my career and lived in different places. I’m not comparing, but honestly, I loved how diverse the folks were who reached out to wish me happy birthday. How lucky am I? I feel very lucky. I have my health (even though I’m not a super athlete and could eat a little bit better). I have a career of my dreams (I am always focused on learning). And, I have good people (and my cat) in my life. I have lots to be grateful for.
Over the last year or so, I’ve been hyper-focused on rest, doing what I love, and creating boundaries that can sustain my happiness, freedom, and autonomy. This pedagogical journey has not been an easy one, and when I look back, I had to make some critical decisions (knowing or not knowing) that took the left turns to arrive where I am today. I have never felt better. I am finally feeling like more like myself without feeling like I’m having to please or prove myself to someone else. Again, the person I need to impress is me. The person that needs to feel satisfied is me. Turning 55 is a big deal for me and I feel that I am officially starting the third chapter of this life (and I am happy to be here). At 55, my aunt (on my mother’s side) retired from her occupation in banking (very corporate) and when my dad announced his FREEDOM 55 plan, which was to leave the pulp mill and go to China before retiring in the Lower Mainland. What am I looking for?
I am looking for PEACE. I feel very content right now and yet, I feel scattered at times. So many things to do, yet so little time. That said, I have been prioritizing slowing down and pausing when I need to. Unfortunately, things like my DESKTOP, for example, on my computer has a 1000 tabs open and well as my search engine (another 1000 tabs), and lots that I would like to get done, but I am not. Let’s be clear, I am making lots of progress, and I am also finding the courage to find another journal to publish my dissertation (that has taken some time). But I know I can do better. So here are 3 short term goals (while continuing doing what I am doing with respect to rest): (1) clear off my computer desktop (aka., get organized) and write a list of things-to-do in my planner; (2) drink water and eat whole foods (aka., cook at home); and, (3) do some daily exercise (i.e., walk, YouTube videos, go outside, meditate). Small changes can lead to big change.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 06th, 2025 | Comments Off on How Many Windows
