I always open my eyes first thing in the morning to the sound of birds chirping. The house is quiet and warm, waiting for the first rays of sunshine to take over the dim shadows of dawn. I turn over to see my little sister lying next to me and I carefully climb out of our bed so as not to wake her.

The living room is lined with antique furniture and trinkets left behind by my grandmother. Two small bath rooms and a kitchen, clean and organized are available at my leisure; there are sinks, a shower, a tub, and a hose outside that provide fresh water. The lawn is freshly cut, the bushes neatly trimmed, and the flowers tucked in neatly like sleeping babies.

“We’re rich.” I told my little brother at breakfast one morning, “Can you believe how rich we are?”

He rolled his eyes and frowned, “I wish. If we were rich things would be so much better than they are right now. I miss living in a two-story house…”

Suddenly, with a flickering of lights, the power went out. All the lights and appliances turned off, the refrigerator giving a final groan. My brother threw his hands in the air as if the power turning off had proven his point.

Through out the day my hands kept flitting towards the light switches, forgetting that the power was off. We had no electricity or heating on the coldest day of the year. Instead of watching movies together that night, my siblings and I slept in my bed, snuggled against each other in the hopes of warming up. Seven thick blankets and the close proximity of our body heat did nothing to protect us against the freezing cold air that kept biting at our noses, hands, and feet.

However, I was happy. Rather than feeling angry or upset that the electricity was out I felt incredibly lucky. I realized how much I take advantage of the fact that I live in a warm house full of easily accessible resources like heat, food, water, and clothing. My mind constantly wandered to the homeless people bearing the cold outside. I could only imagine how much colder it was farther north of California.

I was also happy that, unlike a lot of other people, I have special little people that can keep me company at night. I have an entire family to help and be helped by. However, like electricity, all of that can disappear in an instant; I think about that every day.

I now realize that it is not material things that make us royalty. Though friends, family, and love are true royalty’s fruits, they do not determine royalty itself. In the end, we are all royalty through God. Every movement, every breath, is a gift of gold sent from heaven. The poorest of men on earth may actually be the richest.

Those who are considered royalty in earthly terms are not only “rich;” they are usually also leaders. They are normal people whose aim is to be the best that they can be and to live virtuously in order to protect their people.

Though I am not a political princess, I am certainly a true princess at heart. I try my best to appreciate everything I have, down to the very feet that take me places and the hands that allow me to create beautiful things. I try to lead a virtuous life and set an example for my siblings so that they, too, can become leaders and appreciate life.

Though everyone is born as royalty, some people do not realize it. In my opinion, that is true suffering; to live your life always feeling as if you will never reach your “truth worth” when the chance is already in your hands. That is poverty of the heart.