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Columnist says she owes her sanity to Tom Hanks

As COVID-19 tightens its grip, in "Everything King" Wendy takes comfort from a beloved actor
2020-03-13 Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks and his wife Rita are shown in a photo from the actor's Instagram feed after announcing they have tested positive for coronavirus in Australia.

From outer space to a ship seizure to the friendliest neighbourhood, Tom Hanks has always made me feel hopeful.

Now, the nicest man in Hollywood is doing the same for me during this coronavirus pandemic.

It seems he’s always been the voice of reason. He is often voted the celebrity most people would love to eat dinner with. He just seems like a regular good guy.

When he and his wife, Rita Wilson, went public with the fact they are in Australia, in self-isolation, because both have COVID-19, they basically became the first public faces of this illness.

Part of his tweet read:

“We Hanks’ will be tested, observed and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than one-day-at-a-time approach. No? Take care of yourselves!”

No drama, no hysteria. Just a statement of fact.

Like you, I have been inundated with information some of which was helpful and most of which was not.

Despite news conferences by politicians and doctors, it was a brief message from an actor that made me feel better.

Think about the fact he had had a lot of adventures on film that have gone awry — he always makes it back home safely.

Any guy who can spend years lost and alone on an uninhabited island with only a volleyball as a pal and come home normal (Cast Away) is going to sail through a couple weeks of quarantine.

Remember, he was taken captive on the high seas by a gang of pirates (Captain Phillips)? He remained calm and survived.

Heck, he landed a plane on the Hudson River (Sully), so no doubt Hanks can rise to this challenge on solid ground.

I’m not going to lie. The last couple of weeks has left me rattled. Things changed so fast.

It was bizarre to see no live studio audiences for major network shows like The View, Dr. Phil and Jeopardy.

When sporting organizations cancelled whole seasons, which equates to millions of dollars in lost revenue, I knew things just got real.

Is this the new normal? No tournaments, concerts, vacations or community gatherings?

Until now, I had never heard the term 'social distancing'. I thought we were almost as distant as we could be with everyone preferring texting to in-person communication. People are now waving, bowing, elbowing, or just ignoring.

The thought of seniors in long-term care facilities not having visitors is so sad. The loneliness will be unspeakable.

As we all figure out how to act and react in this new normal, I find myself grateful for social media. It gives us a way to keep connected without germ transmission.

We will all find our way.

Take comfort where you can.

I am going to keep the faith in Tom Hanks, who is simply too nice to be sick. 

As Mr. Rogers he asks: “Won’t you be my neighbor?’

Yes, yes I definitely would, but for now you just wave and stay on your side of the fence.

((Virtual hugs))


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About the Author: Wendy King

Wendy King writes about all kinds of things from nutrition to the job search from cats to clowns — anything and everything — from the ridiculous to the sublime. Watch for Wendy's column weekly.
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