Gardening and plants

On a day where nothing tackled had yielded to my efforts, it was intensely gratifying to take on a task where every element was under my control - earth, stalk, leaves and blossom. It was my vision, my time, my labor, my satisfaction.

It was a small triumph, a minor transformation of a tiny landscape, but it was balm for one's whole existence - reassurance that I was, at the end of the day, master of my own world. Indeed, if you don't believe that what you do matters, it's awfully hard to get up in the morning.