Tom Hanks in the Pandemic Year: Never play Solitaire again

In a time of blockage, quarantine and social distancing, solitaire seemed like a harmless undertaking, a solution for the mind and hands, a safety valve that meant having something make. The pack of books was right there on the table, and without thinking, my hands would take that file of 52 to riff, shuffle, and cut. A game would be divided – for me, by itself – into a line of seven cards with a growing pile face down. The cards in my hand were revealed in threes, and the blacks were played on the reds and so on, and it would take an hour or so. I would play more solitaire later in the day or the next morning.

I never cheated to win; the gain was not the point. The approach was good enough and there was always another game, so why not solve it? I could win this time. And what else was there to do?

In fact, there was a lot to do! Damn it! It was a sink and a dishwasher. Sorting clothes. Rice to put on the stove with the timer set for breakfast. Letters that I could have written and the typewriter and stationery to do it. The books I had packed in a suitcase were placed on an unread reading stack, although I always read one of them. There were floor exercises and yoga stretches to do. I have children to talk to when they are available. I have business partners to contact. I have hilarious and interested friends. I have scenes to study and prepare. I have stories in my head – and I tell stories to live – that could have been sketched, noted, outlined. I could have watched “Chernobyl” on HBO again!

I managed to do many of these things. I fulfilled most of my responsibilities and explored some creative depths in my thick head. But those solitaire hands were wasted minutes in hopes that a red six would appear or a king would be turned over so that I could fill an empty column. What the not Instead?

Covid-19 taught us that life and health are precarious – that the smallest part of our physical world, like a virus, can rob us of our vitality, community, family and purpose, whether we get sick or not. This pandemic has affected us all, costing so much, too much. Our time is limited and finite. Solitaire scatters what is precious. Never play alone again.

But the crib? With my son, who I can rarely beat? Anytime!

-Mr. Hanks is an actor, screenwriter, producer and director. He is the author of the book “The Unusual Type: Some Stories.”