Silent but Dopey Steven Kunis

I didn’t have much to say when I was very young.

In fact, according to family legend, I didn’t utter so much as a single word for the first three years of my life.

Naturally, my mom and dad began frantically seeking the expertise of speech pathologists, neurologists, otolaryngologists – all the “gists” they could find – in search of the “Open Sesame” for my speech. Fortunately, my lack of speech passed by me unnoticed as I busied myself with a world of imagination.

Oddly enough, it was seven little men who enhanced that imaginative world and added the gift of words.

One rainy afternoon, l discovered the movies and the Walt Disney classic that was to become my favorite companion – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Suddenly, my eyes fixated on the screen, then my little legs broke into a march, and finally I began boldly singing the refrain of “Heigh-Ho.” I sometimes question if the family rendition of that miracle afternoon is totally accurate, but I do remember that when my parents kissed and hugged me, I felt very warm inside, and I became hooked on Snow White.

Over time, words became sentences, sentences entire monologues, and my fascination with the Snow White...