Our perception of time has certainly warped. These past several months have both been the slowest and the fastest we’ve experienced in a while. Just like that, I’m back from the 5 Dads Go Wild camping trip (I’ll have the video up soon). And children are heading back to school in two short weeks. At least here in BC, unless things change again. As we wind down these final few days in August, let’s go on another virtual spin around the web for this month’s speedlink.

James Smith, like just about every parent, recognizes that this year’s back to school experience is unique. With that in mind, he’s gathered up some advice for how to get ready for school again. You’ll need to talk to your children about how the school year will be different. Online and distance learning are new to most of us. And then there’s all the meal prep and packing healthy snacks. How are you preparing for back to school, 2020 style?

As we navigate these uncertain waters, Chris Gaffney reminds us of such a critical resource in any community. The public library, as he describes it, is a “refuge for dreamers.” We attended many “babytime” and “storytime” sessions at our library when Addie was younger. Up until it closed due to the pandemic, we’d visit the library practically every week to borrow a couple books (and DVDs). And now, the library has had to adapt to a “new normal” too. Chris has been fortunate enough to enjoy “virtual storytimes [and] Mother Goose Music classes” with his daughter, thanks to the library.

When international travel is mostly off the table, you explore your own backyard with social distancing guidelines in mind. That’s exactly what Tairalyn Ciulla and her family have been doing. You know how they picked up an RV recently? One of the trips was to the Camperland RV resort in Bridal Falls, just a short drive from Vancouver. It’s a beautiful spot with lots of hiking and a nearby waterpark.

What if you don’t have an RV? We certainly didn’t for 5 Dads Go Wild 2020. And neither did Tamara Goyette for her family’s first tent camping trip. She and her husband have been tent camping before, but that was all before becoming parents. Things are different when you go camping with kids, as you might imagine, but it can be a great vacation option for those of us in British Columbia. This is a chance to make some truly precious childhood memories.

In hindsight, I probably should’ve been keeping a journal with my thoughts during this pandemic. My mental state was quite different in March than it is now. Morten Rand-Hendriksen did keep a journal and he shared his entry on the 100th day of the pandemic (or at least his 100th daily entry). This was back in June. Reading through it, do you think it still reflects our reality now in August? What has stayed the same? What has changed? “The worst part is the uncertainty.” Nail on the head, my friend.

That’s the uncertainty, and that’s why it’s the worst part: We know the fire is still burning, we know it could be burning under our feet right now, and we don’t know how or when it will end. Yet somehow we must embrace this uncertainty and move forward, together.