Time to Prepare

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 How long is the ideal length of time between when you are asked to give a talk in church, and the day that you give the talk? 

3 days? 5 days? A week? Two weeks? A month?

On Tuesday evening I received a text from a member of the bishopric asking if I would be willing to give a talk in church this Sunday. I said yes. I don't mind giving talks, and our ward has so few active members that those of us who are willing get asked about once a year. What I do mind, however, is the short notice. For me, the ideal amount of time is closer to two weeks than the 5 days or less that I've been given the last few times I've been asked to speak. 

Imagine a world famous chef is asked to cater a dinner party. Imagine the exquisite meal he could prepare - the freshest vegetables, the tenderest meats, everything perfectly seasoned, and each dish complimenting the others in a feast for the eyes as well as the palette. 

Now imagine that same chef is asked to cater a dinner party - that evening. He could still put together a meal that would be delicious, but he would be compelled to use the ingredients on hand, the ones most accessible rather than searching out the most fresh or the most tender. Quick breads would have to replace slower rising breads. Meats might not have enough time to achieve the ideal tenderness. The choice of dishes might not compliment each other as well. The focus would be on getting a meal on the table quickly, with little time left for perfecting the details of presentation. The chef himself might feel more anxiety at having to pull everything together at the last minute.

Image generated by ChatGPT using previous two paragraphs as a prompt.

I'm not a famous chef. Nor am I a famous public speaker, but I do like to have the time to pull together a good talk. I like to be able to ponder on the topic I am given, let it simmer for a few days as I look at it from different angles while I decide which angle would be the best approach. As I write the talk, I like to research scriptures and quotes and find the ones that best portray the points I want to make. I like to have time to find stories or analogies that make the doctrine more accessible and interesting to my audience. I like to feel like I have time to seek revelation and guidance from the Spirit as I prepare. Once I have the talk written, I like to have a day or two to practice giving it, to become familiar enough with it that I don't have to read it word for word.

When I only have a few days to prepare, I feel rushed and the entire experience is more stressful for me. I don't have the time to let it simmer in the back of my mind for days - I have to dive in. I have limited time to seek out the perfect scriptures and quotes, so I end up using the first ones I find that are relevant. Having less time to prepare makes it harder for me to wait patiently for the inspiration from the Spirit. My time is spent writing the talk; I don't have the time to really polish it, to make it as good as I would like. 

After agreeing to give the talk, I mentioned to the bishopric member that the last several times I had been asked to give a talk I had been given less than a week to prepare and asked if next time, I could get at least two weeks notice. (I included an emoji with big, pleading eyes.) 

His response was to ask if it would be better for me to speak the following week.

I had to think about that. That would give me another week to prepare, which would be great! On the other hand, the following week I'm assigned to play the organ. After I speak, I generally get an adrenaline rush that makes my hands shake really badly - which makes playing the organ a struggle. Which would be worse - having less time to prepare, or having to play the organ right after I speak? 

In the end I decided to go ahead and speak this Sunday. He agreed to add a note for next time to work around organ playing and have a little more lead time. We'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, I'm working to put together a talk for this Sunday... I've got about the first 3 1/2 minutes of it so far!

(And yes, I had to get this out of my system so I can concentrate better on that!)

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