Today is my beloved husband Simon’s birthday. 💝 My heart is very squeezed for this person. So, here are a few wonderful things about my bestie that just have to be said. /A Birthday Thread 🎉🎁🎀🎂🍰
First, my Simon is an emergency worker & this has been a very hard year… but never once has he complained or passed the buck. No matter how tough the challenge, he has shown up with excellence & good character. /1
A key reason Simon is so stalwart is because he spent 12 years in the @CanadianForces. His uniform made him strong & humble. His dad once told me, “you have to understand, Simon is a soldier. And he was a soldier before he was a soldier.” Real talk. So much respect. /2
Simon is also brilliant. 🌟 This year – in the middle of the pandemic mayhem – he founded & launched the @CDNJEM, the first & only academic and policy journal on emergency management in Canada. cdnjem.ca A game-changer! 😃 /3
I watched Simon create this for a year, ground up. This month, @CDNJEM launched its new peer-reviewed journal for scholars & practitioners working in emergency management. Just incredible. 🔥 Check out the first issue! cdnjem.ca/current-issue/ /4
On top of all this, Simon still made time for volunteer service in our community. Even after brutal 14 hr workdays. 😭❤️ And he keeps that stuff secret, which makes it even more special. His generosity inspires me every single day. /5
But Simon is so much more than just his incredible work & service. He knows all the secret Star Wars things about the Mandalorian & he is really good at Batman Arkham Knight on PS4. He runs & trains like a champion. And he loves Cheetos & special snacks only I can make. /6
Simon is also a naturally gifted golfer… & a bit of a fanatic! We picked up the game last summer & he’s already awesome at it. ⛳️ We are counting down the days to play again, especially with his funny and wonderful dad. 😊❤️ /7
Note: Golf is a great way to spoil a guy who gives everything, and asks for nothing for himself. So for his birthday, he has a new practice putting mat for the living room, which the cats are also enjoying very much. ⛳️😂 /8
Yes, Simon is a super cat-dad. We have two small guys – Max and Ed – who Simon rescued from a barn back when they were starving kittens. Now they have gourmet snacks, soft blankies, 100 toys, & a social media fan base. Living the dream! /9
Now, when it comes to being a husband, well… I took the best one & I’m keeping him for myself. Simon brings me flowers every single week & has done so for years. /10
He gets me the best Avengers presents & is with me ‘til the end of the line. I am so squeezed. /11
Now, I think my husband is the best one in the whole universe, but I don’t want to boast too much, so I’ll just say that I’m a very lucky lady. /12
Does that mean we’re perfect? Heck no! These days are so difficult & all families are under huge pressure. But our love is bigger & stronger than the challenges of these times. Yes, we falter & we fight. But we can always come back with kindness & friendship. /13
And so today, I am going to try to make the best pandemic birthday dinner party ever, for the best husband I could have ever asked for. That’s my warrior mode for this February afternoon.
And so, my sweet, my love for you is enormous and unstoppable and forged in fire. Tested and true. It is strong like adamantium & soft like the pillows and blankets I brought into your NCO world. You can trust that it will be there for all your birthdays to come. x

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More from @ProfAishaAhmad

4 Feb
Last week, my university advertised a "pandemic productivity" seminar. Today, I got the "due to unforeseen circumstances" cancellation message.

Unforeseen? Really? This little example shows why we need to change the narrative about productivity amid crisis. 🙏🏽 /Thread
For the record, I've been a very "productive" in my academic work during the pandemic. I am not against productivity. But, this has absolutely nothing to do with my merit. It has to do with my luck. /1
We are living in an uncertainty vortex with a thousand moving variables that affect what we can and cannot do each day. I don't control 90% of those variables, and so what I can and cannot do each day isn't decided by me. /2
Read 14 tweets
31 Dec 20
Hey lovely people! 😊🙏🏽 So here we are, ending 2020 with soaring COVID cases, crushing lockdowns, & corrupt politicians. Folks, this is rock bottom. So... how can start 2021 with hope & joy? Take heart. We're going to get through this winter valley together. 💪🏽❤️ /THREAD.
Nine months in, we are now around halfway through the crisis phase of COVID. That might seem scary, but have faith. Once we make it through this “rock bottom” period, the rest of part 2 will be brighter & easier. /1
The toughest period is the winter valley… the darkest, coldest months, highest infection rates, harshest lockdowns. Vaccines coming, but not here. This is a hands-down the toughest stretch, but it is not forever. By April-May 2021, we will be back in the light. /2
Read 15 tweets
31 Dec 20
"Tolerated again"?? I'm sorry, but the correct response was "You're fired". I could not be more disgusted at this shameful and corrupt conduct. It makes a mockery of the sacrifices emergency workers and their families have made over the past 9 months.
And I just want to add, a government that lacks legitimacy - indeed moral authority - is incapable of governing and leading people in a crisis. No one will sacrifice for them. No one will trust the process. And that political disaster hurts everyone.
Everything about our countries and democracies is at some level imaginary. They work only because we all collectively believe in them. When that belief is compromised, it can quickly fall apart. Corruption is not a side issue, especially in the middle of a disaster.
Read 4 tweets
9 Dec 20
Hey lovely folks! With vaccines on the way, we can finally see a light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. But we probably won’t get there before Christmas. So, for those of us alone & in lockdown over the holidays, how can we make it through this time in good cheer? 😊❤️/Thread
This is obviously going to be a different holiday season for us. Some are separated from family & friends they cannot visit. Others have loved ones who are emergency workers who have to stay on the front lines. Many of us are afraid of loneliness. But there is hope. /1
Holidays under hardship conditions can seem scary… but they can also be beautiful, in a strange, life-changing way. But we need create space for these moments of sublime. That means taking steps to ensure you actually have a break this season. /2
Read 23 tweets
17 Oct 20
Hello lovely folks! Most of us are now deep in lockdown 2.0. Since writing about the six-month wall, many people asked me about how to take a “mental shore leave”. Here’s my plan, which might help you think creatively about yours. Good luck! 😊🙏🏽❤️ THREAD
Most of us cannot take an actual leave from our pandemic-stressed work and family lives. But to get through this six-month wall & emerge happy, it is imperative to take a break. So, how am I going create a psychic retreat for the next 4 weeks to recharge my batteries? /1
Well, I have come up with 2 parallel mental shore leave strategies: daily reprieves & weekly retreats. First, I need more rest & quiet time each DAY. Second, I need a full day off once a WEEK. In my crazy busy life, this sounds impossible. But here’s how I am doing it. /2
Read 16 tweets
9 Oct 20
To the brides & grooms who have to adapt their weddings for lockdown 2.0: Take heart! We did it in June on a lawn. Be courageous in your love. 💖💪🏽 Mini-thread.
First, I admit that I ugly cried trying to learn how to do my own hair & makeup, especially given that I’m more of a bookworm than a pretty girl. I’m so grateful to @ProfAgard & @RTVLaw for listening to me cry on the phone & reassuring me it would be ok. It was.
Second, I also did not get to wear my big beautiful wedding dress with the train. It couldn’t be hemmed under lockdown, so I ordered a white dress off the Internet, doing my best with the sizing chart. Arrived on time, with a trusty zipper in the back.
Read 10 tweets

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