In 2022, Natalie Fée moved to Clevedon, near Bristol, and was immediately drawn to an oak tree behind her flat. It stood alone on an urban hill, surrounded by grassland, and she began sitting under it. Burned out after a decade of running a nonprofit that successfully campaigned for bans on plastic cutlery and polystyrene packaging, she sought calm. Her idea: meditate under the same tree every day for a year, starting on the winter solstice of 2023.
A Bleak Beginning
The first months were heavy and bleak. Rain, storms, and intense winds buffeted her. She brought a square of sheepskin to sit on and sometimes a hot-water bottle. Not much happened under the tree, and she felt daunted by the year-long challenge. Some days she questioned her purpose, but she stuck with it. She spent the first 10 minutes sitting still, observing, then meditated for 20–30 minutes. At home, she wrote notes and poems, which she later described as introspective.
Spring Brings Hope
Spring arrived with a sense of hope. Winter had felt like a pause; now someone had pressed play. The day daffodils bloomed under the tree felt like a celebration. She had watched them grow, expecting them to burst any moment. They lasted only two weeks, having taken 50 weeks to develop—a reminder of life’s transience. Then forget-me-nots appeared, and the barren grassland exploded into a riot of life and colour.
She witnessed micro-changes: buttercups seemed to arrive overnight, crickets suddenly sang, and swifts returned, announced by a new bird song. Sitting in stillness refined her senses. She returned home glowing most days.
Summer Rest and Realisation
By summer, the meadow seemed to rest—except Natalie. Despite appreciating her ritual, she still exhausted herself with work, music, and poetry. She realised she needed to reconnect with nature by doing what nature does: slow down. It took effort, but it was necessary. Under the tree, everything felt calmer, and her meditation became clearer. Once, she opened her eyes to find a deer in front of her until a dog scared it away.
Her mental and physical health improved. Backache disappeared, and her sense of peace and awe skyrocketed. She felt a happiness not experienced since childhood and rediscovered playfulness. Sitting with the oak changed her perspective on time; she became more patient and trusting of natural timing.
Autumn and Completion
On a late summer day, swifts held a screaming party; the next day they were gone, as if announcing their departure. Autumn brought winds and turning leaves. On the final day, the winter solstice of 2024, she brought her guitar and sang thanks to the tree for offering sanctuary. The challenge complete, she felt newfound resilience and relief at being able to travel and see family.
Natalie reflects: you don’t need to go far to find a spot in nature to sit and reflect. Nature knows what you need and is always ready to offer it—you just need to be quiet enough to receive it. She still visits the tree most days, though she tends to skip the rainy ones.
