being a " but "

 It is a recurring theme. We all want to be remembered, somehow show future generations that we succeeded. The question is succeeded at what ? Life ? Can our lives be measured in that fashion. Is there a pass and fail ? I'm not talking about going to heaven or hell, I'm talking about how future generations remember us. Does it matter ? Yes, I believe that it does matter. What we do here and now does matter to the future. The reason is a simple one, because what we do now shapes the future. Each one of us are responsible for that. Oh our part may be just a tiny one, but it is important. We all know that instinctively. It is only the experience of living that may cloud that reality. There are those that get lost, for whatever reason, and just walk away from life. Those of us left behind are grief stricken, shaken to our core by the blow. It is beyond our comprehension. And there are those that just become numb to the whole experience and go about their daily living without thought. Those folks come in all types, good, bad and everything in-between. There are concerned only with the present.
 The rest of us struggle along trying to understand, trying to find success. We need to be successful at life. Just how can that success can be achieved ? A big question and the answer is different for each of us. For me, I think success may go unknown to me in my lifetime. It's a hard reality to accept but I believe a good bet. My success would be to be spoken of after I'm gone. I would want folks to say I knew him and he was this or that. Success would be when they speak of me, it would be followed with a but. You know like, he could be a big pain, BUT,  he was a good guy. That type of but. When a person is honestly described, and then followed with a but, that is a measure of success. A " but "  is an introduction. If I'm being introduced to others, even after my passing, I must have succeeded. Now, if I were to write a book I could also respond to those introductions. Success , life after death.