Day 0 // March 17, 1976

    Inspiration many times originates from very odd sources. Such is the case with beginning this journal. I've wanted to start one for several years but just haven't been motivated enough to maintain it. Recently, three entirely unrelated events have given me inspiration to begin what I believe will be a journey full of interesting people, places, activities and thoughts.

    The first event triggering this pseudo trip down memory lane is my 26th birthday. This particular age doesn't trigger anything particularly important but the occasion itself brings thoughts of retrospection.
     The second event is my friend David Barrett's trip around the world. I would love to join him on this adventure of a lifetime but at the same time I've come to realize that my lifetime has been quite an adventure already.
     And the last event is the birth of my friends Joshua and Kristy Mock's daughter, Riley. This ties everything together in an odd way but it got me to thinking about my own birth and all of my "firsts".
     Like my first smile, March 18, 1976. My first laugh, October 3, 1976. (OK it took me a little while after my first smile) My first, second and third steps, February 14, 1977. My first words, November 1976, "Hi dada". And on and on and on. So, where else then Day 1 to begin a journal.
    I was born John Harold Wallace III on St. Patrick's Day, 1976. I greeted the world at 9:14am in the little town of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I'm a "Bell Baby" which simply meant having the distinction of being born at Bell Memorial Hospital.
     Although I'm "John the 3rd", I'm the first of three children of my parents, Karen and John. It seems my doctor, James Tobin, had some very precision instruments because I weighed 8 lbs. 10.25 oz. and was 20.5 inches tall. Over the next four days I lost an amazing 4.25 oz. but I found my appetite soon after.
     I've always had a fascination with numbers and statistics and they will be appear quite frequently in my writing. One interesting fact is that 3/17/76 was the 76th day of 1976.
    This seems to be a good place to wrap it up and continue with another entry tomorrow. I plan on choosing certain days, skipping around my life and adding something new daily. As it evolves I'll be editing entries, adding photos, video, other documents and archives, creating message boards and other features and much, much more. Bookmark this page, visit often and maybe even start your own journal on paper or online. III