The Pastime Termed Gardening

Most people have segmented lives of work and play; we go to the office and stay in our respective cubicles, we spend weekday evenings with our children. Sometimes we force the kids to rehearsals on weekends and we play golf with our acquaintances.

This is not the case for the gardener since cutting around his backyard and looking for insects may not sound fun and does not fit neatly into a outline either. After a taxing day's work, he goes home with sore muscles but more weeds will crop up the next day. He knows this, and yet, he also finds that his soul is filled with vitality and his essence wants to do more work on the little patch of earth.

Believe it or not, the aforementioned is a typical image of a French local -- yes, gardening is a very normal pastime in France. Gardening seems unfitting for a pursuit that asks so much effort and, arguably, gives so much in return.

Gardening in France is said to be parallel to a obsession. It means convincing yourself out of the car after a long day at work and a stressful trip home. You have sore feet, an aching back, a sleepy brain, and unresponsive body, but then, you find that you can't wait to hose your plants and check up on your lovely flowers, young vegetables, and rare, ornamental plants.