by tanyabittner | Apr 1, 2015 | Today
To prosper and flourish. The perfect definition for a remarkable word.
Are you thriving right now? Or are you sorta stuck? Maybe this short, sweet post will help you figure it out.
I’m reading about Shenpa… it’s a Tibetan word for getting hooked or being attached. So it’s kind of like being stuck.
Pema Chodron is my favorite writer of themes like: taking personal leaps of faith, channeling good and reversing negativity. Her teachings are centered in fear-based clinging… Shenpa.
I love reading and learning about new ways to identify and shed negativity. It comes back to alignment every time for me. Let me explain.
If you want to thrive, you have to be able to see those things, thoughts or people that hook you – then listen to your heart and brilliant mind to let them go.
When you aren’t holding on so tight, you can tap into that inner strength, and make less familiar reactionary choices. You can realign your day, your life, to thrive. You can get unstuck.
Have a positive, happy day! Move and be moved.
More to come,
Tanya B.
by tanyabittner | Mar 29, 2015 | Today
I love Spring! It’s warm outside, birds are chirping, and right now as I type, two squirrels are playing together (actually – more like flirting with each other) in our backyard – it’s so sweet!
But Spring is also synonymous with the annual clean. Yuk! Actually I love rolling up my sleeves and getting dirty so this time of year is exceptionally fulfilling for me. Spring cleaning should be more than carpet shampoos, sweeping dust bunnies, and taking old clothes to charity. You should toss out those unproductive negative feelings and thoughts too. Reaffirm your intentions and give yourself a Spring cleaning on the inside.
I think there’s a subconscious stirring happening around this time of transition into a new season. It may even be what motivates us to get organized in the first place – a fresh start. I know for me, Spring is the time of year I begin to get excited about dance competitions, anxious about maintaining a work/life balance, wonder how report cards will look, summer camp and vacation planning (already? sigh…). Ooohhh… and that last one’s BIG for blended families. You have to be considerate of the other party when making plans and you also need to comprehend the spirit of negotiating. Some exes really struggle here.
Regardless, this is the time of year to let go and remember to accept life like it is. Brad and I had one of our many deep and honest conversations the other night about this exact topic, “it is what it is”. He could see I was taking on too much (again) and encouraged me to pump the brakes, listen to my heart, and let go of things, people, and tasks I can’t control. Ah! Alignment. My husband has such a killer way of centering me :).
So today, along with Spring cleaning on the outside, I kicked that be all things to all people mentality on the inside. Each of us needs to stay focused on our own desires. My ecosystem of desires stem from its center: this wonderful man I get to call my husband and our four kids. Period.
Cleaning is done. Choose a happy Spring!
More to come,
Tanya B.
by tanyabittner | Mar 26, 2015 | Today
In my last post, Thankful, I eluded to having some unfortunate genetic issues. I’ll dive into some of the medical mumbo jumbo further down but in short, I recently learned I carry three deadly genes. My father died of a blood clot, my mother a stroke. I’ve always had a morbid sense of humor and often joked that one of these two medical conditions would take me too. Turns out… the likelihood is high.
It’s because of this family history my doctor and I agreed genetic testing was the only way to know for sure. My blood was drawn in California, and sent all the way to Boston for review. The whole process took about three weeks. Then, I was presented with a 35 page report on my overall health.
And overall, it was good. But for the genetics. The fancy names for the genes are Apolipoprotein E Gene (ApoE), and Blood Clot Protein Genes Factors II and VI. I just call them the Carl and Marie genes after my dad and mom. So, there’s nothing I can do about genetics but I’m told clean eating can increase my odds of being here longer for my girls and my husband. Problem was, I kinda thought I ate pretty healthy already.
Whoa was I wrong!
Clean eating is basically consuming foods in their most natural state. No preservatives. My doctor also advised against consuming dairy, eggs, and sugar based on the story my blood work told. This isn’t about weight loss, it’s about shedding bad cholesterol and reducing inflammation in my body. That means I eat fruits, vegetables, salads, and lean meats (though my appetite for meat is waning).
I didn’t embrace this new lifestyle right away. I did it, sure. Kicking and screaming on the inside. This path appeared much like reaching a T at the end of the road – except there was only one way I could really turn, right? Toward health or away from it. So I turned toward it. Sharply. The lifestyle change was so swift. It started the very moment I left the doctor’s office February 13th of this year. I lost my father at 58 and I am just 42. Many of my siblings died before they turned 50. They likely carried one or more of the same genes too. So, there was no intellectual hesitation. Making the pragmatic decision for change was easy – it was the emotional side of this new journey I found surprisingly difficult.
Admittedly, I was scared, then angry, then a little sad. The first emotion came over me with such consternation. Like I’d been pushed off a sky scraper and into a week long free fall waiting to smack the pavement (and die) at any moment. Then came some anger. Why wasn’t genetic testing a thing 30 years ago? My father could have made better choices about his lifestyle and been with us longer. The sadness ebbed and flowed. I just wanted my parents back.
It’s been a little more than 30 days and I’ve settled in now, though I get stumped about what to make for dinner some nights. Brad’s joined me both in having his genetics tested and in eating healthier. We’re slowly making changes with the kids’ diets too. It’s all still so new, and we’re conscious of it every, single, day.
I do love that I’m off on yet another new journey and I’ve had to re-align my life to realize these new desires for health :). It’s always about alignment.
More to come,
Tanya B.
by tanyabittner | Mar 22, 2015 | Today
When I talk about being thankful, I don’t mean for the worldly things. I’m talking about what, or who, makes up my world. My husband Brad is at the top of that list (after God).
He loves me so perfectly. He’s strong. Tender. Passionate. Sweet. Protective. And underneath all the self-control he exudes, he’s so-much-FUN! I get that love? You better believe it! I’ll drink that in every second of every day the rest of my life.
I’m thankful for these things, and for his leadership role in our family, his adoration for my girls, respect for their father, the fierce love he has for his boys – and how beautifully that love is reciprocated. They are so much like him! Extremely introspective… something is stirring inside each of those boys and I can’t wait for them to mature and articulate those thoughts, perceptions, and memories they’re chewing on. They know exactly what’s going on around them. I. Can’t. Wait. Look out world!
Brad also has this deep love and appreciation for his parents, sister, brother-in-law and nephews. It’s always been there, but there was a dark time in his life where someone encouraged him (brainwashed, manipulated, insert any other dispicable verb you can think of) to suppress that love. It warms my heart to see how happy his family is to have their son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, back. Not unlike the boys, he was introspective, for years… Piecing it all together.
Which is precisely why he loves this entire family with such wild abandon.
I’m so immensely and humbly thankful to God for my girls. My tough, smart, beautiful, talented, confident, fierce, driven, and accomplished girls. Their dreams are big and attainable. All of them. I love them to the point of distraction. These amazing beings call me mama… They are by thousands of miles and miles, my greatest blessings. They love me purely. Ahhh…
I’m thankful for the ability to provide for this family and thankful to the company, or in the past – companies, that have given me the opportunities to do so. It’s something very important to me; a balancing act to be mom, step-mom, and co-provider. I take those jobs very seriously. I’m up well before everyone and up almost later than everyone (Brad’s a night owl). By choice. There’s no room for chaos in this family. Our peace is a priority.
I’m thankful for my friends and family. They’re the same to me.
Lastly in order of list, not importance, I’m thankful for my health. 2015 started off scary. I’ve had to make swift and significant adjustments in lifestyle to improve my unfortunate genetic odds.
So today, I challenge you to be thankful. Stop complaining. I’ve read two stories in as many days of women, wives, mothers who suffered massive brain hemorrhages. One didn’t make it.
Be thankful. Everything can change in an instant.
More to come,
Tanya B.
by tanyabittner | Feb 27, 2015 | Today
Thank goodness it’s Friday! Today is hectic, but exciting too. It’s [dance] competition season! That means poofs, high hair buns, sparkly costumes, false eye-lashes and perfectly pointed feet. It also means driving all over Southern California and into neighboring states. If my girls make nationals – it’s a flight to New York! Long hours in a dark auditorium watching one of the most moving (literally and figuratively) art forms of all time.
Back to today… Jordyn and Dyllan are busy organizing caboodles, making smoothies, packing their dance shoes and audition outfits. I’m packing for the rest of us – [healthy] snacks for the hotel room, some clothes, books, and some wine :).
Laundry, cleaning, working, and sneaking in a little writing time with coffee close by.
I’m thinking about all this prep work and reminded that it was so important for us as parents to make sure they were involved in activities outside of school. For them, it’s dance – and they spend almost as many hours in a dance studio as they do in a classroom. They have so many teachers between the hours of 8am and 8pm, so many friends, and such a nurturing and diverse group of families to interact with.
They get to compete, audition and perform on a stage this weekend. How cool! It reminds of me of all the friends we see on Facebook who post about hockey, rugby, golf, color guard, and yes more dancers (be still my dancer heart) – the hard work and dedication of the kids and parents and the lessons we’re all (still) learning about camaraderie, team play, competing, sportsmanship, winning, losing, pain, joy, and everything in between! I love it. I love hearing about kids being active and dedicated to something.
Good job moms and dads!
Have a great weekend.
More to come,
Tanya B.
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