My six year old son

My six year old son was shaking with anger, and tears were streaming down his face. He was bouncing a ball up and down, and his grip on it was so tight that his knuckles were white.<br><br>"I hate my life."<br><br>"I hate it."<br><br>He repeated these two things over and over.<br><br>He hated his life because he had to clean his room.<br><br>That's right, a six year old had to clean his room.<br><br>My son is a very young boy, but he has a choice: either clean his room, or have his toys taken away. <br><br>He was angry, but I could see the gears turning in his head.<br><br>He was deciding whether he should clean his room.<br><br>He was six, and he still had a choice.<br><br>My son's choice is one that each of us face: either be responsible for our belongings, or not have any.<br><br>We each own things. We own a body, a mind, a heart, and an apartment. We own clothes, a computer, one or two cars. We own possessions.<br><br>We have to choose what we do with these possessions, but we can't choose whether we have them. We already have them. <br><br>Simple living is not about living without possessions. Simple living is about taking responsibility for our possessions, including our bodies and minds. <br><br>Simple living is about taking responsibility for our lives.<br><br>Each day, we either take responsibility for our lives, or we don't. Either way, we still live with the consequences. Either way, we still have to take care of our bodies and minds. Either way, we still have to pay the rent.<br><br>So why not take responsibility? Why not take responsibility for our lives?<br><br>That's the question at the heart of simple living.<br><br>That's the choice we each face.