'WHEREVER YOU GO... THERE YOU ARE'
- Johanna Socha
- Feb 11
- 4 min read
'Wherever you go... there you are.'
That's always been one of my favorite sayings.
(And anyone who knows me well enough,
knows that I love old quotes and sayings.)
I first heard this one many years ago.
And then I found out there was a book with that title!
Of course I bought the book, but I still haven't read it.
Maybe I just never felt the need for the details.
That particular quote just seems to sum everything up, especially when I'm in conversation with myself and the conversation seems to be going on for too long.
Just wrap it up Johanna. Stop dissecting the details.
That quote also occasionally comes in handy when I want to wrap up a conversation with someone else, when I feel they’ve surpassed their lamenting limit.
I hear you Shelley. I really do. But oh well. You know what they say, 'Wherever you go, there you are'.
Another favorite saying of mine is, “it’s just the luck of the draw.”
Funny that they’re on my list of favorites, when they seem to be such polar opposites.
And speaking of 'luck' and 'wherever we go', I recently stumbled upon a couple of old YouTube news clips.
The first was of Malala Yousafzai, who was 14 years old and living in Pakistan at the time, and was shot in the head for campaigning for all girls in her country to have the right to go to school.
The second was about Aesha Mohammadzai, a young Afghan girl who tried to escape an abusive marriage, a marriage she was forced into at the age of 12.
Her punishment for trying to escape was to have her nose and ears cut off by her husband and in-laws.
The basic ‘luck of the draw’ we all share is who we’re born to.
No choices there.
You get what you get.
I could have just as easily been born to Malala’s neighbour, or been Aesha’s sister.
All things considered, my 'luck of the draw' could be viewed as a decent draw.
So decent in fact, that I got to watch Malala and Aesha on YouTube, while I pondered about ‘wherever I go’ next.
These two girls, so young at the time of their violent experiences, could have lamented about the luck of their draws, or lack of any luck.
But with the cards they were dealt, they wanted to change that draw, go someplace different and end up somewhere better.
Wherever you go, there you are.
As of early 2026, Malala Yousafzai continues her global advocacy for girls' education through the Malala Fund, focusing on ensuring 12 years of free, safe, quality education. She actively campaigns against gender discrimination, particularly in Afghanistan, and works as an executive producer for documentaries.
Malala Fund Work: She supports local education activists in countries like Pakistan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan to push for policy changes.
Media and Production: Malala produced the 2024 Apple+ documentary "Bread and Roses", which highlights the lives of women in Afghanistan.
Recent Projects: In late 2025, she published a new memoir, Finding My Way, and has been nominated for awards for her writing
Personal Life: She graduated from Oxford University in 2020, was named an Honorary Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall in 2024, and resides in the UK with her husband, Asser Malik.
She continues to act as a leading voice for girls' rights worldwide, focusing on empowering them to choose their own futures.
Aesha had somehow found her way to an American Aid facility and then with a family in the U.S. who cared for her and laughed with her; she enjoyed family dinners instead of being afraid of them, and went on to higher education. Many surgeries later, she now has a nose and ears.
Today, Aesha lives in Maryland, where she continues her education and advocates for the rights of women around the world. She uses her story to raise awareness about the struggles faced by women in Afghanistan and other parts of the world, where women are still treated as property and denied basic human rights. Her courage in speaking out about her experiences has inspired countless individuals to take action, from donating to organizations that support women’s rights to participating in global campaigns aimed at ending violence against women.
But still so many of Malala and Aesha’s girl sisters around the world still aren’t so 'lucky' with their draw.
Malala had to get shot to then have the opportunity to go to school.
If Aesha hadn’t had her nose and ears cut off, I wonder where her luck would be now.
And now a little closer to home:
The other day, while in my car and stopped at a red light, I saw someone on the median with a sign around their neck, asking for spare change.
This happened to be a street in my city, but it could have been Anywhereville.
What was a little different and caught my eye was that this wasn’t the stereotypical ‘sign-holder’ we’ve all seen and driven by so many times, or maybe rolled down the window just enough to pass along some change.
This particular sign-holder was a woman who looked to be about my age.
Light turned green and I drove past her, wondering what her luck of her draw was, while still going to where I needed to go, to get where I needed to be.
I still wonder what the answer would have been, if I had stopped and asked.
By Johanna Socha . February . 2026
