Today is New Year’s Eve Day. As such, here are some milestones in my life from the past year.
Work Anniversary
In March, I marked two years as an employee of the City of Guelph.
Taijiquan Anniversaries
In April, I marked 21 years as a practitioner of taijiquan, and in May I marked 10 years as a practitioner of Chen style taijiquan, from the Chen village lineage (specifically through Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei).
Church Membership Anniversary
In June, I marked 6 years since my Profession of Faith (joint baptism and confirmation) at Dublin Street United Church, which formalized my membership in the United Church of Canada in general and Dublin Street Untied Church in particular.
Becoming a Master
In April, I presented my Theology of Taijiquan paper at the Conrad Grebel University College Research Seminar and I presented the Graduate Student Valedictorian address at the Conrad Grebel University College Convocation. In June, I concluded my time as a Theological Studies Student Representative to the Theological Studies Admin Group and my coursework for my Master’s of Theological Studies. In October, I officially received my Master’s of Theological Studies degree from Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo.
Cat Daddy Anniversaries
In May, Salem turned 3. In October, I marked 3 years since I adopted her.
Taijiquan Progress
In the past year, I have added New Frame (xinjia) One and Two to my barehanded forms (taolu) practice. While there are some debates between Chen style taijiquan practitioners about whether New Frame is truly “newer” than Old Frame (laojia), the usual teaching from Chen village is that Old Frame was developed by Chen Changxing in the eighteenth century, synthesizing the original set of forms developed by Chen Wangting in the seventeenth century, and that New Frame reached its current form under the auspices of Chen Fake in the the twentieth century. Old Frame is usually taught first because it tends to be easier to grasp. New Frame makes more visible some of the subtler principles in the Old Frame, and is particularly useful in helping grasp some of the martial applications through more expressions of fajin, more visible articulations of the wrist, and more visible folding of the chest and shoulders. As someone who is definitely interested in the martial applications of taijiquan, New Frame is an invaluable addition to my training. My New Frame practice is still very much a work in progress-while I have a good outline of New Frame One and a rough outline of New Frame Two, I have a long way to go on smoothing out the details of both forms.
I also taught taijiquan formally for the very first time, leading a Chen style taijiquan workshop as a fundraiser at my local church. It has been a goal of mine to become a taijiquan instructor and this was an invaluable experience towards that end. I wish to become an instructor for a few reasons: I love taijiquan and want others to love it to; I believe the benefits of taijiquan are invaluable and desire to share those benefits with others; teaching others taijiquan can also help one’s own practice; I want to be able to pass on my knowledge to my (hopefully!) future romantic partner and children, and getting teaching experience now would be a good preparation for that. Teaching the workshop was excellent, though I would definitely do a few things differently. I’m very much aware that that teaching is not a natural skill I possess and that what forays I have made into teaching in a variety of contexts has been challenging, so I really do need to cultivate my teaching skills it if it’s ever to become a reality.
Professional Life Progress
Upon graduating from my MTS program, I though I might be able to add in several things. I had hoped to become more involved in the poetry community in Guelph, to work towards publishing a theological book, to get on the pulpit supply list for the local United Church of Canada congregations, and to deepen my taijiquan practice with an eye to becoming a more formal instructor.
I overestimated how much capacity I’d have upon completing my MTS which is not surprising in retrospect. I pushed myself to the edge of burnout for two years which I knew I could do for a limited time. Now that time is past, I’ve been reminded I need to do a much better job of prioritizing my time and energy.
Regarding my poetry journey, I’ve realized that my composition of poetry has decreased in recent years and that becoming a better poet isn’t a high priority for me. I will continue to compose and post as the mood strikes, but it is not something I’m going to be deliberately and intentionally aiming to cultivate.
Regarding pulpit supply, I’ve realized that there are more formal barriers than I was hoping there would be. In many ways this is a good thing-the United Church of Canada has standards for Licensed Lay Ministers and Designated Lay Ministers that mitigate and prevent abuses of power and privilege. The only downside for me personally is that getting on the pulpit supply list requires a lot more time and energy than I really have, and that there are certain criteria which I might not fully meet (my views on church doctrines for instance are more in line with the United Church of Canada than many, but my takes on things like the Trinitarian doctrine may be problematic). At the moment, being on the pulpit supply has thus been put on the back-burner, though I’m hopeful there may be opportunities to preach in more informal contexts.
Regarding writing a theological book, I am now taking more serious steps towards that, doing things like market research and putting in the work for proposals to serious publishers. If no publisher is willing to back it, I may end up self-publishing but I’d prefer to publish the “proper” way.
Regarding becoming a taijiquan instructor, while I have taken some more steps in that direction what they have confirmed is that there is a long way to go. I am hopeful that there will continue to be some workshop opportunities to get some experience in more low-pressure settings, and that there may be some friends or family members interested in doing some private or small group instruction so I can gain some low-pressure experience that context as well.
Personal Life Progress
My personal life continues to be a source of frustration. I am more lonely than I would like, and do not have as robust a social network as I once did. I have been trying to be more deliberate in connecting with friends and family which helps, but I definitely still feel the loneliness and lack that comes from having no romantic partner for so long. My housing situation, while better than many, is still very much not a secure and stable environment. Altogether, having a more stable and long-term housing situation and being in a long-term secure romantic partnership are still very much desired and hoped for, even if getting there from here seems impossible more often than not.
Conclusion
All in all, 2025 was a year marked with much growth and accomplishment. As I enter 2026, I have a few professional and personal priorities firmly in mind even if plans to achieve them are loose and open to improvisation. I will continue to trust my feelings and focus on taking the next right step.
The Dreamers' Corner 