Tudo vem a seu tempo - Everything Comes in Its Own Time
Translated from the original German-language text with the assistance of AI
I’m beginning this blog with these words: Tudo vem a seu tempo — Everything comes in its own time.
I have the privilege of getting up with the sun. That wasn’t always the case. Back when I worked in an office, I actually liked taking the early shift, and this morning I can feel it again, how the world wakes up, how I come alive with it, and how much I have missed this feeling.
I’m still enjoying the darkness as I drive my husband to Frankfurt Central Station. It’s just after 5:00 in the morning, and the city is waking up, coming to life, and it feels good to be part of it. I could drive the route to the station and back in my sleep. In a way, it feels like going back to my younger years. Everything has changed, and yet nothing has. The same streets, the same buildings. It’s simply beautiful.
Almost home, I stop at the bakery and get myself a piece of cake. It’s 2°C outside, about 36°F, which is cold considering it’s technically still summer. But this slightly unusual morning deserves to be celebrated! My dogs have already gone back to sleep and barely noticed what was going on this morning. I put on some hot water for a good cup of tea, light my little tabletop fire, and curl up in my parents’ old armchair. Oh, how wonderful.
There is something magical about this morning. At 6:30, the church bells ring, just as they do every day, but usually I’m still sound asleep and don’t hear them. Behind the ancient church tower, the sky slowly changes from black to a soft, velvety gray, welcoming the new day. My neighbor’s motion-sensor light comes on and I see him heading out with his dog, Rocko, starting his day with a walk before leaving for work.
I finish my first cup of tea and enjoy my piece of cake. The day is getting closer, and I don’t want to lose this moment.
Life is change, and nothing, absolutely nothing, stays the same. Somehow, that comforts me, because I believe I can find this feeling again somewhere else.
That was a short walk. My neighbor and Rocko are already back. That means he doesn’t have much time this morning and needs to leave for work. Rocko doesn’t want to go inside. He tries to stretch it out for just a little longer because he knows he’ll have to wait until evening. Until then, his life stands still. The children are on their way to school now, the little ones walking and the older ones heading to the bus stop. Yes, the day is here, and it has caught up with me.
My horse lives outside year-round, and his rhythm doesn’t become any less active just because it’s nighttime. He rests whenever he needs to. As the days grow shorter toward winter, he loses his summer coat and grows his thick, fluffy winter coat. When the days grow longer again, he sheds it. It’s beautiful to be able to live according to such a natural rhythm.
Terra Bravo, my ranch in Portugal, will be exactly that kind of place, a place where everyone can move at their own pace and live according to their own rhythm. That doesn’t mean there won’t be work. There will be plenty. But there won’t be self-imposed time pressure or artificial deadlines. And Portugal is a country that teaches you exactly that: Tudo vem a seu tempo. Everything comes in its own time.
For me, that probably won’t be easy. I’m a planner and an organizer, and when nothing seems to be happening, I start to worry. What about my deadlines? I had everything planned out! It will be good for me to learn to accept the rhythm that already exists there instead of constantly trying to create my own.
And now Bosch is awake. His day is just beginning, right on time according to his perfect internal clock. By the way, Bosch is a 175-pound Great Pyrenees who is very excited about moving to the ranch in Portugal. He’ll have plenty to do there and can sleep whenever and wherever he wants. The horses love him because he is always there for them, and he loves the horses. Canine? Not according to Bosch. In his mind, he is part of the herd, which obviously makes him equine!
Tala, my other dog, is a Cattle Dog, and she doesn’t seem to have an internal clock at all. She is simply always there and always ready, for whatever.
For the animals and for nature, this rhythm of time is already everywhere in Portugal. But for me, as I said, it will be a real challenge, and I’m actually very curious to see what it will teach me about myself. Tudo vem a seu tempo will be my faithful companion.
I should probably add that I have already thought through, planned, and put things into motion all the way through November 2027! My motto used to be, “Build the tracks and the locomotive will come.” And then I went far beyond just building the tracks. A lot of people admire my drive and how much I get done, but that drive is tired because it has always been under pressure. That part wasn’t always seen or understood. So now it really is time for Tudo vem a seu tempo.
Someone who has been telling me this for a very long time is my horse. He goes along with almost everything I ask of him, but there is always this question coming back at me: Why? Why are you doing this? It isn’t even good for you. He always tells me what he needs, and even then I often have a tendency to go far beyond what is actually necessary.
But as of yesterday, that changed. I am there for him now, and what we love doing most together is simply going out for a relaxed ride, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, whatever feels right. And most importantly, when there is something special along the way, we stop.
For his health, he needs certain herbs and grasses, young branches and leaves, berries and bark. What he chooses depends on the season, and he knows exactly what he needs and when he needs it. Everything comes in its own time.
The same is true for me. Even my weekly grocery shopping used to be completely structured and planned. Not anymore. Now I want to buy fresh, seasonal, local food, in smaller quantities and simply less. Maybe I’ll even start growing some of it myself. But the time for that will come, too.
I don’t know if Tudo vem a seu tempo is for everyone, but it is for me, and it will become the motto of the ranch.
TudoVemASeuTempo