What does it mean to be the last man standing? The last of eleven siblings? The last of one’s generation? The remaining half of a life-long couple? The rootbound patriarch of off-spring who are prone to wander the wilds of this continent and every other and who too seldom wander in for a visit?

To be alone There is no one else beside you. There is no one else like you. No other companion your age. No sibling who shares the same background and growing up experience as you did. No teammate remaining with whom you struggled against and defeated the foe. You are the last man standing.

To be lonely Rare is the person who has not been lonely. Lonely through the death of a spouse; lonely through divorce; lonely due to an empty nest; lonely through leadership and responsibility when the game is over, the workday done. Yet now, you truly are the last man standing.

To be responsible only to yourself and only for yourself; to be the sovereign ruling authority of your own ship. There is no one left to whom you must answer; no one to break your back for, provide for, cherish or die for. To be the last man standing is to continue to make choices that keep up the spirits of the troops – when there is only one troop left.

To be hospitable and invite others into your life. To relate. To joke with those younger than yourself (rare is the person who is older), strangers and servers and physician assistants – no matter how quaint or awkward your mannerisms and colloquialisms. 

To be ethical to persevere even when you feel like throwing in the towel, to find projects for the hands or for the mind to keep you productive when only God knows and nobody else is watching.

To be thankful and keep on taking responsibility for your own happiness by enumerating a lifelong list of blessings.

Because the last man standing – as long as he draws breath – still has a covenant to keep with the Universe.