I Had To Breathe In & Out Yesterday Just to Make It Through All There Was on the Agenda, But I Did Get to #WriteOut '25, Day 7. The Skies Saved Me

Day 7 - WriteOut ’25 

When Oxygen Comes from Travel

b.r. crandall

I tried to get outdoors. Actually, I accomplished it with a dog-walk, but my phone wasn’t with me so I didn’t get any photos, except for then from my car after a 12-hour day of commuting. This weekend, anomy love from National Writing Project work, competed some with the joy of supporting The Westport Library StoryFest. Truth is, I left my house at 6 a.m., got home at 4 pm to walk the dog, and was then out of my house until 10 p.m. - I did, however, captured a sunset, although I was too delirious to process too many thoughts on the serenity of out doors. 

Author Derrick Barnes, The Incredible Human Henson Blayze, visited two school districts today and I was the promoter and driver (school visits as part of StoryFest). For the last few weeks I’ve made sure 100s of books were in the hands of kids, teachers were prepared to work with the texts, and all were ready for giant assemblies. 

It was spectacular, but there’s nothing we can do about Connecticut traffic. Although I made it to pick him up in record time (no a.m. traffic) the after school commute as well as the Friday LET’S LEAVE NYC AND HEAD TO BOSTON traffic was insane. 14 miles turned into 2 hours. Poor Derrick, I tried to tell him that these parts are odd to navigate, indeed.

And let me just say, I’ve met many amazing individuals in my life, but working with Derrick Barnes and his school visits made me stop in my place to say, “Now here is an amazing human being.” What a writer, dad, husband, individual, speaker, and man. I am definitely a better Bryan after spending a day with him (I’ll be posting photos on social media when I catch my breath). We were so lucky to get him on The Write Time, before this particular book debuted.

Today, in honor of him, I’m going for an early morning barber shop cut, a shout out to his book Crown, before meeting him for a day of StoryFest author panels ate the Westport Library. I also have senior night for the Women’s Volleyball Team, then a completion of StoryFest ahead.

I wanted to post the sky, however, as I also made it in time for a special principal’s retirement party in between all the driving, school visits, and literary festival festivities. 

On Sunday, I’ll need rest. I’m mandating it for myself.