Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 451

"What’s your biggest remaining goal in life?"“To...

"What’s your biggest remaining goal in life?"

“To find true love, I guess.”

“How would you define true love?”

“I don’t know. I guess it means when someone is 100% committed to you…”

“Have you found it before?”

“I thought I did.”

"I’m a substance abuse counselor. I always try to create a...

"I’m a substance abuse counselor. I always try to create a linkage between me and the people I’m trying to help— to let them know that we’re doing this together. Because I’ve been there and done that."

“What were you addicted to?”

“I was addicted to lifestyle, actually. I was a substance abuse dealer. I started with marijuana, then graduated to cocaine, then eventually I even had people working under me.”

“What made you start dealing drugs?”

“It’s a long story, but I think it comes down to not having a family. My mom wasn’t around. My stepfather abused my sister. I think I was looking for a family. And with drugs and money, I managed to create a group of people who were loyal to me.”

"I had a whole vision. I wasn’t a pro, but I could film...

"I had a whole vision. I wasn’t a pro, but I could film from different angles and stuff. I was going to have a whole YouTube channel with different kids doing rap battles. I worked really hard at it, but nobody except my friends ever looked at it. And all the adults in my life told me that I was wasting my time. So one day I got mad at life, and started deleting, deleting, deleting, until it was all gone."

"We broke up in a Starbucks. A week later, I walked by and the...

"We broke up in a Starbucks. A week later, I walked by and the place had been completely bulldozed to the ground. I always thought that was the Universe doing me a favor."

"What’s going on here?"“Just taking a walk.”

"What’s going on here?"

“Just taking a walk.”

"How long have you known each other?"“Carter...

"How long have you known each other?"

“Carter Administration. You do the math.”

"It’s important to forgive."“What have you had the...

"It’s important to forgive."

“What have you had the hardest time forgiving?”

“I’m not sure.”

“When have you most needed forgiveness?”

“Not sure about that either. I’m not talking about anything big, really. I’m talking about all the small things that need forgiveness. Stuff with your brothers and sisters and friends. Forgiveness keeps relationships moving. Without forgiveness, everything comes to an end.”

I asked her for a piece of advice, and she reached into her...

I asked her for a piece of advice, and she reached into her mom’s purse and pulled out a whiteboard. “She has laryngitis,” her mom explained. “No talking for a week.”

Check out this little goober.

Check out this little goober.

HONY For The Holidays was an experiment we tried for the first...

HONY For The Holidays was an experiment we tried for the first time last year, where we found holiday dinners for people who happened to be stuck in New York with no place to go for Christmas. (The idea emerged from my experience during the early days of HONY, when I was too broke to go home, and spent Christmas Eve at a 24 hour diner. So I know how much it sucks.) My girlfriend organized the whole thing, and we ended up matching about 15 or 20 people with families who had an extra place at the table. It was really cool.

Anyway, my girlfriend is ready to do it again this year. She’s pretty fired up about it, actually. I gently reminded her that the audience is 20x larger this time around, but she was undeterred. She’s had her Excel spreadsheet ready for days, and I even got yelled at last night for not posting anything yet.

“I’ll do it tomorrow,” I told her.

“You said that yesterday,” she said.

So please, if you can spare an extra spot at the table this Christmas, please be in touch. And if you have no place to go this Christmas, please be in touch. We’ll match you up with somebody, and much cheer will be had. We’ll also make sure everyone is well acquainted before they meet, so there will be no surprises: honyfortheholidays@gmail.com

The attached picture is from one of the dinners last year.

——————————————————-

When you send an email:

Please include GUEST or HOST in SUBJECT LINE

- HOST: include how many people in host party, ages, approximate location, what time they will be eating, and how many guests they can host

- GUEST: include age(s) and approximate location