Friday, July 21, 2023 – A Site Name Change

A series of events have led to this wonderful moment… a site name change. It’s the first day of many and I started the next chapter of my life with an application to change my name,. There will be a tonne of things to change to establish my new name but the application and changing social media feeds is a start. As I look back at my life, I am struck by what was needed to implement any personal change.

Every situation needed a catalyst. Gosh, I love that word as a Chemistry major. According to Google, a catalyst is: (1) a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change; or (2) a person or thing that precipitates an event. A quick change without being consumed… is brilliant. So when I think about GRATITUDE, I needed a catalyst.

Over a yummy bowl of pho, my kid and I were chatting and before I knew it, she started the name change process. In an instant, I wanted to do the same. I mulled over changing my name and the work required to do it, but it seemed obvious when my kid took the first step. Before my afternoon meeting, I doodled the possibility (singular) and I was convinced. This new name is the name for me.

The history of my name is somewhat annoying and I never really liked my name. I understand that other people have a similar experience. For example, my middle name is my given name. It bothered me since I could remember to be called by my first name. A half a century later, it still does not feel right. “Alice.” Ugh. It’s not right even though my first name sounds beautiful and dreamy in Italian. LOL.

I was also not a fan of my last name (or maiden name). “Ho.” Yes, it’s my family name and it’s also the worst teacher’s name (particularly when it was popular in Saturday Night Live). I think my feelings for my last name is conflated with my experience being a second-generation Chinese Canadian and never feeling comfortable with “oriental” and any racial slurs that were hurtful and gross.

Of course, I got married and adopted the name of my husband. “Younghusband.” No, he’s not young anymore. LOL. It took a long time to shift from “Chris Ho” to “Christine Younghusband.” 18-years later, I was separated and deliberated going back to my maiden name. It seemed like a viable decision at the time to combine my names. “Ho Younghusband.” It took time to adopt, but it was not quite right.

I reached a tipping point and voila… my new name (unofficial). “Christine Vivien Leigh.” Vivien is my mom. She named herself after the actress, Vivien Leigh, when she came to Canada. Leigh will be my daughter’s new last name. We will share the same last name. Having our last names the same is very important to me. So, I delved in and my friend encouraged me to change my name on social media.

Weirdly, changing my name on my social media feeds was scary, and I changed my handles as well. I thought the next natural step was change the site name of my portfolio. I am no longer married, my daughter is growing up, and it’s time to live the last chapter of my life for me. I had a few tough lessons and critical friends and mentors who are helping me to move in a direction that is authentic to who I am.

“Dr. Christine Leigh.” It’s a new path. I only have gratitude to those who have motivated me to take this new path and providing more clarity for me to see what’s really important to me and what’s possible. I am very excited for the next chapter and I am prepared for the turbulence, the joy, and the unexpected. I cannot imagine a better way. The identity & integrity of a teacher… here I am.