Exec Direct: Blogging with Kathryn Burton

Evolution by Design

There are moments in life when we reflect on who we are and who we wish to be, and have the opportunity to decide to select a path forward. When some people reach this juncture, they choose comfort, the status quo; others choose to focus on the possibilities for the future. This second alternative involves some amount of risk and often discomfort, but can have great rewards.

“The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” —Charles DuBois

More often than not I choose the path least taken, the one that is fraught with challenge and adversity, for without risk and some adversity there can be no lasting reward worth receiving. My deepest conviction is that each of us possesses free will and has the ability to change our circumstances, to evolve to be what we truly desire, and to accomplish whatever goal we set our heart to and have the passion to pursue.

I recently made the decision to make a deep personal change, one that is not always easy—but as I found out through the exploratory process, much more common than I had expected. I have chosen to change my first name from Susan to Kathryn.

Okay, you’re probably asking why!

There is no one simple answer to this question. However, this is not a decision that I came to overnight or without great consideration and a firm understanding of the challenges and complexities.

As I contemplated this change, I learned that changing one’s given name is a practice that is rooted in many spiritual and ethnic traditions. While in 21st-century America it might seem unusual to do so, to my great surprise my research showed that many, many people (including some STC members) have changed their first names. Often people pursue a name change as a part of a spiritual journey, to confirm with an ethnic tradition, or for a more personal reason, such as never liking the name, honoring a deceased relative, wanting to be like someone they respect, outgrowing the name their parents chose for them, or joining the witness protection program! 😉

In my case, I always loved the name “Susan” but have been drawn deeply to the name “Kathryn” for some time. The name “Kathryn” has two levels of meaning for me: a tie to a historic and ancestral past on one hand and the possibilities for the future on the other. Changing my name to Kathryn is a symbolic way to embrace life as a dynamic process requiring continual growth and transformation.

The courts of Fairfax, Virginia, have formally accepted my petition to change my name legally to Kathryn Burton. (Groan, I still have the heavy lifting to do: changing my social security records, passport, and bank and credit card accounts.) The STC communication channels will change over this weekend, but there will be some pages of the website that still refer to me as Susan Burton. The legal convention is that documents signed when I was Susan Burton should be left as is. But if you notice anything that puzzles you or you are sure should be changed, please contact the webmaster. My new email address is kathryn.burton@stc.org (though the previous email address will still get to me).

It will take about a year or so, I am told, for folks to get used to my new name. I promise to have a sense of humor if anyone forgets!