​#MyHeartIsAMachine

Just about a year ago, I set out with a goal, a new year’s resolution. Today, I completed that goal with a six-mile run and finished running my 500th mile of the year. This blog post isn’t intended to pat myself on the back, or to boast. I’m well aware that for many people 500 miles in one year is not a big deal. However, it was a big deal to me, because it was something I had never done before, something just two years ago I never would have imagined I could do, and also because of who kept me going every step of the way.
 
My Heart is a Machine. If you’ve read my book, The Dean Machine, then you know exactly what it means. The inspiration for the sci-fi/fantasy adventure was Dean, a rescue dog that my wife and I adopted, who tragically passed away far sooner than he deserved. He was an old dog, who had spent years suffering in a puppy mill, and spent his last days struggling to fight the cancer and congestive heart failure that were crippling him. Yet, up until his last few weeks, Dean was a dog on fire, with all the energy and spunk of a dog half his age. He loved life, relishing every second of it. It is why he was nicknamed The Dean Machine long before thoughts of a book ever came into play.
 
Dean was with me every stride I took when I ran, and every breath of air forced in and out of my lungs. I told myself he was waiting for me up around every bend. I ran in pain because of Dean, I ran through sickness, I ran through rain, and I ran in the heat of a Florida summer. I ran when I didn’t want to, I ran when it was hard to fit it into my schedule, I ran because I never forgot what Dean went through, and because my complaints didn’t mean a damn thing.
 
Dean’s heart was a machine, and now mine is too.
 
There are still dogs out there that suffer as Dean did, and make no mistake the fault lies with us. My Heart is a Machine is now my mantra, it’s the slogan for the book, and it’s Dean’s legacy. It’s why I will always donate royalties from sales of The Dean Machine to animal rescue organizations. It’s why I’ll be sending a $100 check to True & Faithful Pet Rescue Mission, Inc. at the end of this month. That total is partially due to those of you who purchased The Dean Machine, and I thank you.
 
I hope in the future to be able to donate to animal rescue organizations in amounts far greater than what I am sending this month, but for that to happen I need help. I need your heart to be a machine. So please buy the book, and spread the word.
 
Thank you and happy holidays. 

---