wisteria path

This is the wisteria path leading to my back garden. I have a regular city lot in Oak Park, Illinois, just outside Chicago, but I have turned it into a series of small gardens with lots of space to sit and read or visit with family and friends, or space to just sit and think.

For some reason this year my wisteria didn't bloom. I thought I did everything right, what I do most years, and I had some help with trimming and feeding, but it just didn't have one bloom this year. I think the weather had something to do with that. It was warm and then we had a few nights of very cool weather, almost a frost, and then very warm again. So although I did what I thought was needed for a riotous sort of colorful spring, nothing happened but green sprouts all over the place. Maybe next year I need to cover the whole arbor if it gets cold at night....

I think gardening is a lot like many other things in life. We spend lots of time planning and doing the "right" thing, paying attention to details and trying to control conditions but in the end we must recognize that the environment, mother nature in this case, has a significant impact on the outcome. We must be prepared for a variety of possibilities; figure out how to make some best guesses; and ultimately making the most of the outcome and learning from the process.

If we do not give ourselves time for reflection on experience, then there is no learning and no possibility for change. Experience without reflection is just a series of events and we are often then doomed to repeat ourselves and our mistakes. But experience with time to reflect on what we have learned from the event, how we might use what we've learned should this event pop up again, and how we might even use what we've learned in other settings is the sign of significant learning. I think this is what we should all strive for.

The process of learning takes time and time is often our most valuable commodity. When your exams have finished give yourself the opportunity to take some time and reflect on what you learned this year. Think about not only the content or subjects that you studied, but also think about processes, or how you studied, and how you learn.

Take a moment and walk in a garden and see if you can't find some space to breathe and think about what you have done this year, what you learned about yourself, and what you want to do next year. Think about your environment and how you can keep it enriched and engaging enough to continue your blooming!