“Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew…”
I was going to start this post with an explanation of the lyrics above, and how they come from a song that originated in 1967 with a French pop singer and songwriter named Claude François, and how the original theme and narrative of the French lyrics got completely changed when American songwriter Paul Anka came up with new English lyrics to fit the melody and wrote them specifically for Frank Sinatra, and how the resulting English song, “My Way,” became one of Sinatra’s signature tunes (along with “New York, New York”).
But I didn’t do that (or maybe I just did), because that would have taken too much time. And this post is all about the value of time.
I make no claim to be anywhere near as talented or influential as Frank Sinatra or Paul Anka – or even Claude François, for that matter – but the lyrics seem fitting. If you’ve visited this space in recent weeks, you’ve probably noticed the lack of activity here. It’s because I seem to have bitten off more than I can chew.
I could launch into a explanation about the multiple writing projects that I’m currently working on simultaneously, but that would be even longer than the riveting saga of Claude François, Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra – and if I’m not careful, it could devolve into whining that no one is interested in hearing. Suffice it to say that I have several irons in the fire at the moment, and the deadlines are getting big in the windshield.
So please bear with me. I’ll be back in April, early in the month. And I’ve already lined up some things to write about when I return to a more consistent schedule. There will still be deadlines looming, but not quite as many, so I’ll have some time and some room – even if just a little – to catch my breath.
But I promise not to sing, because no one can compete with Sinatra. Or Paul Anka. Or even the great Claude François (1939-1978), whose name I’d never even heard of before I looked up the backstory on “My Way” earlier today.
Thanks for being patient. Stay tuned.