The first two stanzas of Whitman’s Song at Sunset came to mind while I walked my dogs under the trees lit by the setting sun last evening:
Splendor of ended day, floating and filling me!
Hour prophetic—hour resuming the past!
Inflating my throat—you, divine average!
You, Earth and Life, till the last ray gleams, I sing.
Open mouth of my Soul, uttering gladness,
Eyes of my Soul, seeing perfection,
Natural life of me, faithfully praising things;
Corroborating forever the triumph of things.
The victories in life do not always relate to winning. I’ve played and coached soccer games, for instance, where my team fared poorly against a better opponent, yet magically all involved triumphed. Winning, of course, has its own rewards, but great is the man who forever corroborates the triumph of things, whether the outcome be a win, loss or draw.
No matter how hard your day might be, there is always opportunity to triumph in some element of splendor. Granted, the splendor in some days is better hidden than in others, but when you develop the habit of downplaying those matters deemed negative or disappointing while accentuating in mind and heart the hard-earned victories, you safeguard forward movement no matter how difficult life might be at any given moment.
Never judge your life based on a snapshot. Likewise, never judge another based on a snapshot. Learn to view life through the wide-angle lens afforded those who are patient, magnanimous and trusting in the underlying goodness of the heart of man. Look for the perfection in others and don’t be discouraged when it is obscured by a temporary fog. Say to yourself, “this too shall pass” and look for your openings to help them rise above their limitations. Snap judgments lead to ill-informed interventions that bind the invisible hand of truth working in and through the individual.
The triumph of things is the heart of progress. As you assist others to victories in their living you too are blessed to share in the fruits of victory. When you judge and condemn others, you imprison yourself and you cut yourself off from the refreshing and invigorating currents of life that are always at hand.
It is easy to see this in the cool of the day, now you are charged to apply it in the heat of the moment!
Gregory Hake 
I embrace the challenge in each of the your weekend posts!
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Not judging based on a snapshot… advice worth remembering in every snapshot good or not so good! Thank you for a great post!
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Wonderful – thank you for sharing!
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First, beautiful poem. Second, I appreciate the importance of a wide-angle-lens view on others and ourselves. It’s wise to be magnanimous in our perspective as we can’t be so arrogant to think that we know everything about someone else and who they are.
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My reply in Prose:
Precious moments ever passing, defeat and victory interwoven Gordion knot .
Courage, character, strength of heart, a running stream, perceive it not?
Careful footing, day is fleeting, lessons come and lessons go.
Shall we hold our chalis upright or the Glory never to know.
Grateful, loving, tender hearts, ascend to gather, heaven bound.
Shall we open hearts abundant , least the greatness ner be found.
Inspirational post Gregg!
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Beautiful, thank you for sharing it!
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Life and health is characterized by splendor, and there’s never a good enough reason not to take note and emphasize that. You don’t have to be made happy to be happy – you can make it happen by this very thing you are talking about – splendor. I have the fortune of constantly meeting new people most every single day in my line of work, quite intimately, and I get to observe and interact with the vast magnitude of human expression which always leaves me inspired to treat them well with respect, and follow through with what I have outlined for them. In healthcare, you quickly learn to emphasize what is good and proper in people’s lives so the patient can build on that, as a disease process can accelerate at any moment if some change in perspective does not occur.
Good picture you have in your post – you can see the forest!
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Relishing the triumphs of our life journey regardless of the size is usually a sign of a joyful person. We are surrounded by beauty what impacts our feelings the most? Sometimes what I thought was wrong turned out to be just a stage in maturing or something still incomplete. Beautiful poem too, thanks.
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