A while ago, OK a long while ago, people used to visit a fast food chain drive thru to hear familiar cartoon characters take their order through a very poor excuse for a speaker. A frog, mouse, and various other animated animals would come to life and ask each customer if they would like fries with their meal.

I had a strong connection to those voices. So strong, I was encouraged to follow a path of the cartoon characters. Well, maybe not the exact path since that would involve some funky lines and faded colors. I practiced drawing many of them, adding some voices, and sharing both with friends and random customers who had requests.

At some point, the voices that made their way into the world through my lips moved to remain just in my head. Many of them morphed into different characters placed inside stories I wrote, poems I composed, and tales I told others.

Every once in a while I would create a new voice and use it in random situations. They were especially useful when I would read stories to my children. From the characters in the book to the sound effects of the actions, the kids really enjoyed it and asked for more. Reading to the children every night has been one of the many highlights of being a father.

The children are grown now and my writing has slowed so I could refocus on Corporate America. However, I have been listening to I Hear Voices, a podcast with Will Friedle and Christy Carlson Romano, and the enjoyment of listening and creating the voices have returned. I have appreciated the opportunity to bring back some of the fun I had so many years ago while taking orders and entertaining. Who knows, maybe the fun I hear on the podcast can encourage another chapter to be created and another adventure to be started.

Here’s to possibilities and new little voices…soft and loud.