Camping recently, I remembered an old habit from years earlier. I had learned that in the inevitable early-morning wakeup, it’s incredibly dark in the woods and hard to find anything. Before it gets dark the night before, I placed everything I’d need at 3am in a specific, intentional place. Then at 3am, in a dark tent, only semi-awake, I could find what I needed very easily. It takes a little extra advance thinking, but it makes a big difference for those dark moments. Shoes, glasses, flashlight. Check, check, check.
Choral conductors don’t operate in the pitch darkness very often, but we do often operate in situations where we need to be able to react and respond without thinking. Having our absolute necessities similarly at the ready can be incredibly significant to our ability to do so.
What are your necessities when your schedule makes it metaphorically pitch black? How can you prepare them when you have the time (sunlight) to do so?