by Wendy Gough Soroka | Oct 7, 2017 | Martial Arts, Musings
Not too long ago, a yoga studio opened up next door to the martial arts studio where I train. The two businesses share a parking lot in the back, and both have a rear entrance, along a narrow path about five feet below the level of the parking lot. One day, I parked...
by Wendy Gough Soroka | May 28, 2016 | Children, Musings, people with disabilities
Today I’m going to tell you about my brother. I don’t often bring up my bro because it starts a longer conversation that is often off-topic to whatever point I’m trying to make at the time. And some days, I’m just not interested in having that particular conversation....
by Wendy Gough Soroka | May 28, 2015 | Musings, Theatre
It’s 3:00 pm on a Saturday and I’m sitting in a loft of a church that’s been converted into a theatre. The space holds seating for 27 audience members, and the seats I’m sitting in were installed in their current configuration by my husband (with the help of a crew of...
by Wendy Gough Soroka | Dec 7, 2014 | Martial Arts, Musings
“Unless I’m crying or bleeding, you don’t need to apologize.” I found myself uttering this odd phrase the other day during Kenpo class when I was practicing techniques with a girl who was about 12 years old (and taller than me). Our dojo in Granada Hills is still...
by Wendy Gough Soroka | Feb 9, 2014 | Children, Martial Arts, Musings
Winning feels amazing. Speaking as someone who doesn’t win often, winning makes me want to do my happy dance and shout from the rooftops. American culture loves winners; we have no patience for second place. But there are all kinds of ‘wins’ in life that go...
by Wendy Gough Soroka | Oct 21, 2013 | Juvenile Justice, Musings
I work for a nonprofit, InsideOUT Writers (IOW). IOW’s mission is to reduce the juvenile recidivism rate. If you don’t really know what that means (and a surprising number of people don’t), they are trying to keep incarcerated kids from going back to juvenile hall...
