By: Anne Lauren
We were walking, Innocent and I, down a paved path in The Tilden Hills of Berkeley, CA called Inspiration Point. This is an appropriate name for the trail and the timing of our stroll, as the view overlooked the beautiful San Francisco Bay and I was in desperate need of inspiration. Innocent was a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide and I a victim of childhood incest abuse. He was the happiest person I had ever met, while I was still trapped in the anger, despair, depression, and  frustration of my past. I asked him, "How did you get through it? How did you let this go and learn to enjoy your life?" He responded in his beautiful Rwandan accent, "Anne, it is simple. I wake up everyday and ask myself, 'What is going to give me the most joy today?' And I do that!"
I went home that day and started to reflect on what really gave me joy: the water, swimming, loyal friends, delicious food, uplifting stories, and the ability to contribute to my community. Everyday, per Innocent's advice, I slowly began to integrate my joy list into my daily life: I visited Stinson Beach whenever it was above 60 degrees, spent time with friends who made me laugh, cooked nourishing food, and watched movies like Harry Potter and sitcoms like Friends over and over again.
I can't say that my life changed overnight, but it changed day by day, joy by joy. Now my world feels so full of it: like I spent the last six years since that inspirational walk with Innocent collecting my favorite things. Today, I live on the water, I'm a proud open water swimmer who exercises with the seals and the sharks (eek!), my community of humorous and loving friends is vast, and I continue to explore food as much as my sensitive stomach will allow, as well as find new stories in the form of books and movies that move me. As for contribution to my community, I'm still learning how to do this in a way that I love.
The anger, depression, despair, and frustration are all still a part of my daily life, but everyday they have less of a hold on me because thanks to Innocent's inspiration, I know to wake up and choose joy.