How big is your footprint?

Everywhere you walk, you leave a footprint. Some footprints are larger than others, and some grow while other footprints shrink. It's a choice.

I asked one of my senior tennis friends how he spends his day?  He replied, he has coffee in the morning, then he does some stretching, then it's time for lunch, then he plays tennis, then shops for dinner, eats dinner and then goes to bed. I would say this is the mark of a shrinking footprint, but clearly stressless. Occasionally, I envy my friend. Why? It is because I am still busy defining my personal footprint and the stress is sometimes overwhelming. My footprint includes my fourth novel and I am still waiting to be discovered.

My fourth novel is a gripping story, if I do say so myself, about a band of Japanese people that scheme to extract revenge on America for Hiroshima. They have been plotting revenge for 50 years. They are a patient group led by a fearless, wealthy, vengeful female. She asks for an eye for an eye. The research I have done on Hiroshima is fascinating, but it is also frightening because it has highlighted for me the absolute power Americans place in its president.

This power is apparent now when I read the various reports on Syria. There is no agreement by congress or the white house on what legal authority the president needs in order to take military action. Some say he has it. Others say he does not. There are some fine lines drawn on the definition of a war.  The military however are not part of the distinction. If he says, bomb them, then they bomb them. There is no request for a legal interpretation of the command from the military. And there is no one to countermand the command.

I can only hope the Syrian issue is not about who has the largest footprint.

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