As Winter approaches the leaves on the trees thin daily. A tree in my garden has maybe only a hundred left.

I wonder whether I will get to witness the last leaf on the tree?

I wonder also, what makes it the last leaf on the tree? What gives it the resilience to hang on in there? What gives it its strength? The determination to stay attached to its branch? What marks that leaf out from the rest? From the masses? The thousands that have fallen?  Is it the courage to stand out, or the fear of falling that keeps it in place? Is it the position it holds in the structure of the tree? Or maybe its angle in relationship to the elements; the wind and rain that strive to dislodge it? What makes it special?

In life, what makes us persist? Hang on? What gives us grit and determination? What makes us stand out from the crowd? Unique?