Of Bubbles, Buddha, and Butterflies: How This Butterfly Found Her Wings Without Leaving the Ground

By Tanya Destang-Beaubrun

Author Tanya Destang-Beaubrun has always known that her calling was to heal, nurture, and care for her fellow human beings; it has always been a deep, unwavering conviction at her core. And so she became a family physician who put patients first, treating their bodies, minds, and spirits. In Of Bubbles, Buddha, and Butterflies, Dr. Destang-Beaubrun chronicles the changes that have occurred in her life since she decided to follow her heart and pursue her dreams. She presents a series of essays and narratives written during the four-year period after she left her thriving Western medical practice and immersed herself in the study of integrative and functional medicine. Destang-Beaubrun recalls her breakdowns, breakthroughs, fears, and faith as she navigated her way to a new way of living, learning, and loving. This collection of personal essays on bravery, trust, and faith shares one woman’s insights and life lessons as she shifted from traditional medical practice to something more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Mar 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781483497327

Book preview

Of Bubbles, Buddha,

and Butterflies

How This Butterfly Found Her Wings without Leaving the Ground

Tanya Destang-Beaubrun

Copyright © 2019 Tanya Destang-Beaubrun.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9731-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-9732-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019900941

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 02/28/2019

Words of Praise

In my several years as a writer, publisher, and host of a TV show, I’ve had countless opportunities to get to know (as opposed to just meeting) people from all walks of life. Among the more outstanding was a nineteen-year-old from Graz, Austria. We met for the first time in London, in the early sixties, when he was about to make his first assault on the Mr. Universe contest. His bid proved unsuccessful—but the Arnold Schwarzenegger the world knows today learned his greatest lesson from that loss: ambition is not ambition unless fueled by high-octane action. It’s mere fantasy. He convinced himself he had not taken the big title on his first try only because he had not put enough effort behind his dream.

Then there was the Saint Lucian genius, Nobel winner Derek Walcott, who reminded me on several occasions, You’ll not achieve what you’re after until you’ve done enough to accomplish it! Tanya Beaubrun had no idea a writer resided in her, just waiting to bust loose. Oh, but once persuaded to try her hand at putting her thoughts on paper, she was unstoppable. What she presents here is but a glimpse of her soul. Stay tuned.

—Rick Wayne, journalist, author, professional bodybuilder,

https://stluciastar.com/

Life can be full of pleasant surprises! I had always considered Tanya as one of the best-put-together, most focused and purpose-driven students I have had the pleasure to supervise. She seemed to have had all her ducks in a row, no visible signs of self-doubt or fear or insecurity. With head held high, she strode purposefully toward what, to all appearances, was a successful career in the medical field. Her decision to become a family physician advocating for breastfeeding and the like should really have alerted me to the passion that lay subdued beneath the hard exterior that she allowed the public to see. That, and the handwritten notes on delicate scented paper sent on special occasions like birthdays and Christmas, or simply to say thank you for your friendship. Now the butterfly has emerged from the constraining, suffocating folds of the chrysalis, and what a joy! What a refreshing, liberating approach to life! What a lesson to all of us! Now the student has become the teacher. Thank you, Tanya, for your bravery, for your openness. This has been for me a real eye-opener on how to follow one’s heart.

—Dame Pearlette Louisy, Governor General of St. Lucia, 1997–2017

I’ve met a lot of people in my life, but not many have touched my life the way Tanya has. As director of education for Xtend Barre, I have trained and taught thousands of people and created numerous programs, and luckily I met Tanya. Her compassion for others yet ability to remain determined in her own goals was admirable.