Stuff happens despite the best intentions of planners and thinkers.

In the case of the arbor, the solution was simple - fill in the gap with a small piece of wood to hide the mistake.

In the case of real research, the solution may be much more elusive. Filling in missing data might be unethical and create false results. The gap may be an important discovery - an anomaly.

When conducting research or building new ideas, the thinker must be open to change and revision, sometimes even reversing direction entirely. As pieces of ideas and concepts are laid side by side, new understandings should sometimes emerge and the thinker should entertain those new possibilities, adjusting her or his thinking in response to observation and learning