Jenni J.V. Wilson, LMFT
President, LA-CAMFT

Freedom is...

…working from home in comfortable pants
…the feeling when notes are done
…the DO NOT DISTURB feature on a cell phone
…a long semester’s end

…Simple Practice
…to be your own boss
…a passed exam
…renewing the license
…completed CEUs
…being back in the office
…clearing the schedule
…saying “no”

…a phone with full bars
…a working computer
…cutting the cable
…audiobooks
…Air Pods
…unplugging
…to mute, to block, to un-friend
…less than a few thousand followers
…endless content,
           streaming on demand
…a fully charged device
           with unlimited data
…emptying the inbox,
           ignoring the outbox

…full-throated singing
…a moment
…a dance
…a long-term goal reached
…riding the wave
…finding the thought or the word or the move
…typing “Fade In…” or “The End”
…breaking through writer’s block

…a standing appointment
…a savings account
…a credit card on file
…health insurance
…a retirement plan
…the promise of social security

…wrinkle-free clothing
…well-fitting shoes
…the option of going mask-less
…secure shelter
…vaccinations
…healthy teeth and gums
…clean water, fresh air, thriving oceans, fertile soil
…knowing what you’ll eat and where you’ll sleep tonight

…pizza for breakfast,
           dessert for lunch,
                      and cereal for dinner
…free delivery
…vegetarian/vegan entrees
…more than 1200 calories

…a functioning mind, a healthy body
…good REMs and BMs
…sobriety
…effective medications
           that you can afford
…loving your shape and form

…routines and rituals,
           and rules sometimes broken
…sticking the landing
…allowing mistakes
…knowing your strengths and limitations

…not having to take care of children
…having children to take care of you
…knowing — really knowing — you’re loved
…having someone to call,
           somewhere to go,
           and something to do,
                      and always the option not to
…being fine being alone.

…perspective

…no alarm set

…air conditioning
…indoor plumbing
…a doggie door
…a car that runs
…a metro card
…a clean house
…knowing your loved ones are safe and accessible

…living without fear
…wearing a hoodie
…walking alone at night

…escaping abuse
…a war-free zone
…arriving on the other side
…traveling forth
…an open road
…no self-loathing
…healthy pride

…enjoying a three-day weekend
…a theme park Fast Pass in hand
…a bad dress rehearsal
…just another word for nothing left to lose

…literacy

…not found on a bumper sticker
…not wrapped in a confederate flag
…an excellent George Michael song
…found in the art, on the page, through the sound

…to believe or not to believe
…emotional
…terrifying
…everything

…not always a choice

…privilege
…responsibility
…living (and loving) unapologetically
…knowing who you are
…in the boundaries set and held
…beyond the processed and unprocessed traumas
…more than a thousand words.

Join us for a little Freedom from the grind at the 11^th Annual LA-CAMFT picnic on August 8th! Look for the information in your inbox soon! Attending the event is FREE but registration is required. Please sign up at lacamft.org. For more information contact: Ava Shokoufi at specialeventschair@lacamft.org

Hope to see you there!

Whatever Freedom means to you, wishing you and yours all the Freedom you seek this summer. Paz y Amor. 

JJVW — Jenni June Villegas Wilson

Jenni J.V. Wilson, LMFT is a collaborative conversationalist, trained in narrative therapy and EMDR. She works with creative and anxious clients on improving, avoiding, and eliminating co-dependent and toxic relationships, while finding healthy ways to be unapologetically themselves. She is the primary therapist at Conclusions Treatment Center IOP in Mission Hills, and has a private practice in Sherman Oaks.