Time Goes By

Wow, the month of May slid by and here I sit, looking back and wondering what happened to all that time. Time seems particularly slippery during these shelter-in-place months. Back in March, I thought I would get so much done.

Let's just say it didn't work out as I'd planned.

Time doesn't stop while sheltering in place.
Image by xaviandrew from Pixabay

As I write this, my mind wanders to various musical pieces that have to do with the passage of time. The first few songs that come to mind are some personal favorites:

• George Harrison's All Things Must Pass 
• Simon and Garfunkle's A Hazy Shade of Winter 
• The Beatles' A Day in the Life 
• Pink Floyd's Time 

Oh, let's not forget As Time Goes By from the movie Casablanca.

This leads me to wonder if there might be lists of songs that have "time" as a theme or element.

Time for research!

Here's some of what I found (the first two lists have embedded YouTube videos so you can click, listen, and watch; the third allows you to hear a sample of each song):

• Top Ten Songs About Time
• Best Songs About Time
• 6 Country Songs that Creatively Tell a Story about Time Passing By
• 43 Best Songs About the Passing of Time (Heads up: this appears in a website about funeral planning! But no matter, you'll find quite a lot of familiar titles here.)

If you are feeling that time is passing you by these days, just rest assured you are not alone. I've heard some writers say that they are getting scads of writing done, and I've heard others say they can't focus on writing at all. Most I know are, like me, just doing the best they can: putting one word in front of the other and hoping that is good enough for now.

 I try to keep George Harrison's words in mind: all things must pass. Eventually, we will enter a period of what folks are calling "the new normal." And after more time passes—who knows how much (months? years?)—this new normal will simply become "normal."

Time doesn't stop, it just keep on truckin', so I guess I'll do the same no matter how long or strange the trip. (You can probably guess what song I'm listening to right now.)

Ann Parker authors the award-winning Silver Rush historical mystery series published by Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks. During the day, she wrangles words for a living as a science editor/writer and marketing communications specialist (which is basically a fancy term for "editor/writer"). Her midnight hours are devoted to scribbling fiction. Visit AnnParker.net for more information.