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The Confessions of Ira Short

@irashort.bsky.social
99 followers 42 following 788 posts

Humble scribe of the thoughts flowing by. Virtue ethicist, syncretist, humanist, living the examined life, as it happens. #Vānaprastha I vet before I follow back. All photos and text are the creative product of the poster, unless otherwise noted.

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Reposted by The Confessions of Ira Short
Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"Look within. Let neither the peculiar quality of anything nor its value escape thee." Meditations 6.3 #stoicism #philosophy
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 15h
Most of nature's greatest beauties are momentary, ephemeral. Rainbows, sunsets (and rises), the brief lives of butterflies and wildflowers ... In this day and age so much gets lost in the tumult. In our rush, we lose our awe of the miracle we are living inside. Thank you Judith. ✍️🎨 #indieartists 🌎🕊️
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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 22h
"At last, senses dulled with fatigue, I hear barking: we are nearing our first aul. As the convention demands, we wait at a distance while our guide palavers with the headman." #EllaMaillart #Photography
A high-altitude summer pasture (jailoo) with felt tents (yurts), a yak, and travelers on horseback in the Juuku Gorge, Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan.

The foreground features two traditional felt yurts engineered by nomads to be entirely portable, weather-resistant and easily assembled or dismantled as seasons shift. 

A domestic yak (or high-altitude cattle hybrid) grazes on the left side of the frame, alongside several horses mounted by travelers or local herders on the right.

The background reveals the dramatic, snow-capped peaks of the Juuku Gorge valley, illustrating the remote and rugged conditions of traditional seasonal migrations.
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Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Strength is not the ability to push through. It is the ability to pause and choose your response. #stoicism #philosophy
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Have fun vegging out. I earned my wrinkles and gray hair. BTW, does the light go out when the door is closed?
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Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"Throw away the thought of how thou shalt seem to others, and be content if thou shalt live the rest of thy life, however short, as thy nature wills." Meditations 8.1 #stoicism #philosophy
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Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A grudge is a stone you carry to throw at someone who has already walked on. Set it down. The road is lighter without it. #stoicism #philosophy
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
" ... we are all better off if we help to lift each other up, in whatever way we can. Kindness and compassion on individual levels are essential if we are to maintain our collective humanity." Thanks Angela.
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Angela Marie Morton @angemmorton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Happy weekend, all. I hope it is a cozy and restful one for you. Today is the final sale day in my shop, so if you have had your eye on something, now is the time. And, if you have not been eyeing anything, may I suggest a cute little fall-themed mug? ☕️🍂🤎😉🫶
redbubble.com
"Mouse at the Pumpkin Patch | Cute Fall Pumpkins Illustration" Classic Mug for Sale by AngelaMarieArt
Our triumphant little mouse has made his selection and is on his way home from the pumpkin patch. Evoking all the coziness of fall, this watercolor illustration totally got me into the spirit of the s...
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Maricar Jagger @maricarjagger.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A birthday coming up? Consider sending a @maricardsuk.bsky.social
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
... butterflies are free to fly. A classic and evocative line. Butterflies Are Free was a movie starring Goldie Hawn. It was based in turn on a Broadway play by the same name. It predated Elton's lyrics by three years. All reference the fragile but inspiring beauty and grace of butterflies. 🦋
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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"The mountain gently slopes towards a wide moth-eaten plain roughened with clumps of grass or edelweiss. I have always imagined that Greenland must look something like this and have a similarly pure and rarefied atmosphere." #EllaMaillart #Photography #Syrt #TianShan #Kyrgyzstan #TerskeyAlatau
'In the Dzhuuku Gorge. Terskey Ala-Too Mountains', Ella Maillart, 1932. 

Ancient stone ruins at the exit of the Dzhuuku Gorge on the northern slopes of the Terskey Alatau mountain range, part of the grand Tian Shan mountain system in Kyrgyzstan.

Located south of the village of Saru, 10 km west of the village of Pokrovka, approximately 75 km from the city of Karakol, the Dzhuuku Gorge extends for 50 km. Its length is due to its unusual shape: in its lower part, it runs strictly north to south, turning sharply west at the top. This gives the Djukuchak River, which flows along the gorge, a record length of 55 km, a record for this area.
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Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I remind myself each morning: I will not live forever. I will not be remembered for long. And yet today still matters. That is the paradox to live inside. #stoicism #philosophy
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Angela Marie Morton @angemmorton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Sale on in the shop 🖤❤️🩶 New pieces, such as this one, as well as older works are all on sale in the shop today, so pop over for a browse, if you are so inclined. 🙏🏼🥰 www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1837...
A brush pen and sumi-e ink painting of a mountain, with a monastery peeking out at the top, and birds in flight. Art by Angela Marie Morton.
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Keb’ Mo’ @kebmo.com · 22/09/2026
Keb' explains the challenges of recording his album 'The Breakdown' with just guitar and vocals, and how this project was a culmination of a great deal of preparation. 🎶 Listen to 'The Breakdown' at the link in bio! #blues 🎶 @concordrecords.bsky.social
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Keb’ Mo’ @kebmo.com · 21/09/2026
Thank you Denver!🔥🎶 @tajmahalblues.bsky.social
festivalsforlife.com
Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Bring a Living History of the Blues to Denver’s Paramount Theatre | F4L
There are plenty of opportunities to see live music in Denver. But there aren’t nearly as many opportunities to see the blues performed by two artists who have spent their ...
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Wow! 😮 ❕ 💙 🎨
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Endless Wonders Books @endlesswonderspdx.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
If you're a book lover looking for events with the bookish community, love meeting and celebrating Pacific Northwest authors and makers, I've got great news for you! Endless Wonders Book Fest is coming to Portland, OR on October 3 from 12-6pm at Social Good Place!
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Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The task before you is small. Do it well. Then the next small task. A life is built this way, and only this way. #stoicism #philosophy
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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"In the morning we make our toilet by a stream where ducks are paddling in the mud ... We cook our eggs at the bottom of the samovar, pay two roubles per horse for hay consumed, and start off once more full of enthusiasm, though stiff all over." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #TianShan
'Mila, With An Armful Of Kisiak, Walking Towards Auguste', Kyrgyzstan, Ella Maillart, 1932

With rolling mountains in the background, Ella Maillart's Russian fellow-travellers Mila and Capa handle supplies near packed gear and a pitched tent.
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Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, and do so with all your heart." Meditations #stoicism #philosophy
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
My wife is a retired teacher (special ed). They take forever to grow back. 🖐️
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Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them." Meditations #stoicism #philosophy
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
wrote at the top of the blank page "It's all in here, the story is here, in your head. Just build it." 💙✍️
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This song grows on you. Well, it does me. ✌️💙🎶
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Absolutely. Agreed.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Thank you. Perfect for my morning musings 💙🍃
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
That's OK. Breathe. Stay human. Be well 🌎🕊️
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The destruction of empathy, seen as a weakness by some, often begins at birth. It is perpetuated by segments of the population as a valid social construct. Peer pressure and shame are more often the tools. "Big boys don't cry"
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This is why I told them I was retiring in June, then left abruptly one morning in March. Lost only a little frosting on the door jamb on the way out. Let them eat someone else's cake.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The unseen caregiver.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This morning I told a friend, "Unhappy people get their joy from making others unhappy." Understanding is not forgiveness, but it is its doorway.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Thank you 💙🐰
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Judith Monroe @judithmonroe.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Find me NEXT WEEKEND Sep 19-20, 10am-5pm on the Sacramento Open Studios art tour. Visit their website at sacopenstudios.com
sacopenstudios.com
Verge Art – Sac Open Studios – Celebrating the creative community in Sacramento
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Áine Keenan @ainekeenan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Francis Fay is proud to curate 'Michael Dillon: Ireland's Extraordinary Trans Pioneer' - doctor, writer, athlete, Buddhist monk and the first-recorded man to undergo gender-affirming surgery. 26 Sept–8 Oct | Outhouse, Dublin 🏳️‍⚧️ dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/event/exhibi... #SpeirGorm #trans #lgbtq
The second child of Robert Arthur Dillon, heir to the baronetcy of Lismullen, County Meath, Michael studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin between 1945 and 1951, where he also proved to be a distinguished rower. In 1946, he published ‘Self: A Study in Endocrinology and Ethics’, arguing that people should be able to receive medical treatment that would alter their bodies to match their internal sense of gender.

Weaving text, images, sound, and video, this exhibition traces Dillon’s life, ideas, and enduring influence. It explores his pioneering medical transition, undertaken between 1946 and 1950 with surgeon Sir Harold Gillies. Travelling between terms to England, Dillon underwent at least thirteen separate phalloplasty procedures, helping to pave the way both scientifically and socially for countless trans men who came after him to transition more safely and openly.

Situating Dillon’s story within wider histories of medicine, gender, identity, and social change, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to discover a little-known Irish historical figure whose life challenged conventions and helped shape modern understandings of transgender experience.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
With thanks to those who have let me borrow theirs while I searched. 💫
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American Library Association @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Now shipping! This book's rich assortment of sustainability- and climate justice-centered programs helps school and public librarians and educators become catalysts for empowerment—supporting young people as they cope, connect, and take meaningful climate action. bit.ly/4zWEilD
bit.ly
Guiding Youth from Eco-Anxiety to Empowerment: Climate Action Programming for School and Public Libraries
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
That hit home.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Share your feelings, share your heart Just be you, it's who you are You'll be accepted, you're so precious To me The problem with the world these days Is people hide what they should say But not today, speak your mind And set yourself free Come on up, there's room on the porch For everyone 🌎🕊️
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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Kyrgyzstan, Ells Maillart, 1932 Dispossessed rural families at a railway station, victims of a Soviet campaign of mass repression, dispossession and execution aimed at the elimination moderately wealthy or independent peasants ('kulaks') as a social class. #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan
While Soviet-era archival documents frequently labelled these groups as 'condemned Basmachi' (participants in the anti-Soviet Basmachi revolt), modern historians and researchers note that many individuals swept up in these roundups were actually de-kulakized or dekulakized peasants ("kulaks") being forcibly displaced, expropriated, and sent into exile.
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Marcus Aurelius @marcusaurelius2026.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
You were not made to be comfortable. You were made to be useful. Comfort, when it comes, is a guest, not the purpose. #stoicism #philosophy
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Ella Maillart @ellamaillart.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"In Karakol ... a few animals appear all of a sudden at the horse market and at last we can think of starting ... It will take some time to get used to them and the joy of riding is well paid for by the agony of our thighs." #Photography #EllaMaillart #Kyrgyzstan #Karakol #Tierskei #TianShan
Ella Maillart's group on horseback passing by traditional mazars (holy Muslim graves) along the northern shore of Issyk-Kul lake in 1932. They travel down a wide dirt road hugging the lakeshore, with the Tian Shan mountain range visible rising to the right.
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Angela Marie Morton @angemmorton.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Book lovers unite! (And check out my shop 😉). Reading has always been a big part of my life, and I love incorporating books and literacy into my creative works. If you are a reader as well, I invite you to explore the bookish designs in my shop, as well as the "Books" section of my blog. 🫶🥰
redbubble.com
"Bunny Reading Book | Cozy Book Themed Watercolor Illustration" Pillow for Sale by AngelaMarieArt
This simple and sweet watercolor drawing of a bunny engrossed in his book would be ideal for the reader in your life (or for yourself!). As someone with a background in the book industry, I am a bit o...
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I'm sure the Administration is telling the oligarchs that using anything other than fossil fuels is unpatriotic and if they go green they will have their funding revoked.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Working on a piece of writing that has been percolating in my mind for a while. It's interesting to see how it's unfolding, and I'm curious to see where it decides to go ✍️ I write beginning to end, same as I read. Always have. The piece evolves.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
I could use a cup of tea right now. Enjoying the rare sound of rain today - it's been a very long time, even for the Mojave. Nice and slow so it soaks in as it falls. ☮️💙🍵 😊
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
A photo of taking a photo. Absorbing the scene: There are two other photography booths in the background, with different backdrops to offer. At the left stands a person who doesn't look to be a native of the area. Some location where people typically gather. A marketplace? Thanks for sharing 🌎🕊️
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
This rings true this morning. There's the bell, a round just started.
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The Confessions of Ira Short @irashort.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I open the living room curtains and I can feel at least three score pairs of eyes staring at me from the trees. Beady, accusing eyes. There's an impatient tapping at the window. Sorry, but I have to go now. The bird feeder is empty.
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Angela Marie Morton @angemmorton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Happy #KidLitArtPostcard Day! I'm Angela, an artist/illustrator in the US. I value the skill & intentionality of traditionally created illustration, with all its human-made imperfections, especially in today's world. I'd love to work on PBs, BBs & stationery. Portfolio: angelamariemorton.crevado.com
A graphite pencil drawing of a bunny in mid-stride, wearing a checked coat and a scarf. He has a superior look on his face. There are leaves blowing all around him. Art by Angela Marie Morton.
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