Now that fall is officially here and we quickly move towards winter, or as we like to call it in Seattle: THE BIG DARK, my sight moves to my garden and the last remaining blooms on my dahlias and my beautiful Julia Child rose bush. I will need to cut everything back soon and prepare it for the cold to come. I’m remembering how rough winters can sometimes lead to amazing springs. When some plants are stressed by the cold they move into survival mode and prepare for an amazing burst of bloom the following spring. They become determined to justify their existence.  

Last winter was a rough one for my psychoanalytic society and institute, the Northwestern Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. It quickly became clear that the current Board of Directors were all finishing their terms at the same time, in about nine months. And there was no succession in place for any of the Board positions or Board Directors. This amazing specimen of an Institute and Society was not only facing the rough winter but seemed headed toward either extinction or the need to be uprooted and moved to a warmer climate.  

The disruption felt catastrophic and was communicated to the community. NPSI is well known for its quality of training and its dedication to a level of contribution to the analytic community nationally and internationally. People responded and came forward in a very quick manner. The garden is being tended to again and the sincere hope is that what felt like catastrophe is headed toward catastrophic change. Sometimes one’s focus needs to get smaller. Maybe the garden has become too big and the plants that are most valuable need some extra attention. One of the first steps of the New Board was to ensure succession was in place. New gardeners were lined up.  

I am a firm believer in the power of disruption to push almost anything towards growth. Sometimes in order to really appreciate the beauty of the spring blooms you must have gratitude for the stresses of the winter. We have all been through a really rough period of time in so many ways. Not unlike the power of death or the threat of death, these rough times can help put a variety of things into perspective. We are moving forward with many questions, many uncertainties, and a lot of hope. We hope to cut back those vines that have become over-grown, work the soil so it’s full of nutrients, make sure our reach does not exceed our grasp while at the same time trying to keep our dreams alive.