Monks, Peas and Dirty Knees

I am currently reading a biography of Gregor Mendel, the "Father of Genetics" as he is called. The book I am reading is called "A Monk in the Garden" by Robin Marantz Henig. It's really a great read, and I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about this Augustinian Monk, and his experiments. It's his life that interests me more than his research at the moment. I already know what he did, and how. I was curious about learning more about who Gregor Mendel was. Here's what I have learned so far:

It appears that Mendel had some sort of condition throughout his early and middle life that left him bed ridden for weeks to YEARS at a time! I am no doctor, but it seems to have been more psychological than physical. Maybe today it would be diagnosed as a sever anxiety disorder or chronic depression. Basically Mendel couldn't handle any stress, and when he was confronted with it he just fell apart.
In retrospect he was perfectly suiting to living in a monastery and tending generation upon generation of peas, because there really isn't all that much (besides frost maybe, or the possibility of burning in hell) that should stress out a gardening man of the cloth.

His life at first seems simple and confined. After all he was a monk living in a monastery. But at the same time on a certain level it appeals to me in that life was predictable, and known, and he didn't have to worry about paying the bills, or providing for his retirement, or any of the million other things that most of us deal with on a daily basis. (Maybe I am just saying that because I am under a lot of stress right now?) Whatever the reason, reading about Mendel's lazy days kneeling in his garden pollenating and picking his beans, his afternoons in the greenhouse sitting and counting and sorting them, or playing chess, or just thinking, the world class meals he was served three times a day (and a snack!)that he ate without ever having to step into the kitchen or wash a dish, the evenings in the Library (or the hall that held all the books that the monks read that was behind the library)sitting in an overstuffed chair perusing any number of topics in their extensive library....(it goes on) feels fairytale like to me, and I am fascinated by the idea of it. Doesn't that sound like heaven? Except for the whole celibacy thing, the fact that the monastery apparently was freezing year round,and that he had to sit through a church service everyday, I believe it sounds perfect.(I guess I should note that Mendel did teach classes at a school in Brunn during the week, but even so, it still seems like a pretty good life.)
I wonder if given such time and circumstances I could come up with such a breakthrough theory of scientific importance?
Probably not, but boy would I love the chance to try.