ANCIENT& not so ancient WISDOM
offering a weekly positive perspective

April 28, 2005

"It is only by following your deepest instinct that you can lead a rich life, and if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct then your life will be safe, expedient, and thin...

A person needs at intervals to separate from family and companions and go to new places. One must go without familiars in order to be open to influences, to change."

- Katharine Butler Hathaway (1890 - 1942)

Katharine Butler Hathaway was born in Baltimore, MD. Her family then moved to Salem, Massachusetts. In 1895, she was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis and she was strapped to a board with halters and pulleys, the most advanced treatment at that time, by a specialist in an attempt to prevent her from becoming a “hunchback”. During this ten-year period of enforced immobilization, she developed her inner resources and imagination, and an appreciation for life's details that would become part of her writing. The treatment did not prevent her from becoming physically crippled. 

When she was allowed mobility at age 15, she found her disability a forbidden topic and realized that a "deformed" girl was automatically expected to dependent on her family. She chose an independent life as a writer.

After attending Radcliffe College, she lived and wrote in Maine and purchased a home in Castine in 1921. She also spent time in New York City and Paris in the company of other artist-expatriates. In the early 1930s, she returned to her home with her husband, Daniel Hathaway.

The Little Locksmith, her autobiography, was published a year after her death in 1943.

Wishing you dedication and hope in your quests.

Sincerely,