White Hat Stories

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----Email Message----
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com
Subject: look for me tomorrow

I found my white hat a few weeks back -- but I have been so busy I
haven't gotten to go to a movie or anything.

But its been one roller-coaster of a week.
Maybe when I see "freedom writers" tomorrow night... wearing my white
hat; I won't feel so alone.

Fuzzy white hat,
Bellevue, WA




----Email Message----
Subject: My white hat story
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com

Even though this happened about a month ago, I recently realized that it was because of this website.

Right before Christmas I was going to go on a trip across the country for a week. I was supposed to hang out with my friends the saturday before I left (i was leaving the next morning), but they ended up bailing out on me. Needless to say I was pretty hurt and feeling alone, considering this wasnt the first time they had done it to me. My self esteem had been down lately anyways, considering I had been single for almost 2 and a half years, and I was watching my friends go through boyfriends one after another, leaving me wondering why I wasnt wanted.

After a bit of coaxing, my sister persuaded me to go to the movies with her and her roommate, and I agreed, dispite my bad mood. About an hour before leaving one of my friends called and apologized over and over agian for bailing out on me (turns out she got called into work) and I forgave her. Even though I was still in a down mood, I invited her along. Right before we left for the movies, I remembered about the WHP. So I quickly grabbed a big white headband since I have no white hats, and we went to the movies.

The movie was okay (even though I saw no other white hatters), and afterwards I took a quick trip out to the store to get a few things before I had to leave the next morning. As the four of us were walking towards the front of the store, I ran into a guy that I had not seen in over 6 months, and made plans to hang out with him once we got back into town a week later for New Years Eve.

My trip came and went, and I got home and was able to hang out with the guy we had run into. It turns out that he had liked me since we met about a year or so ago, and we soon started dating. Its almost been a month now for him and I, and if it werent for WHP reminding me there are other people out there that felt just like I did, I wouldnt have gone to the movies and run into my now current boyfriend. It lead to something good for me, and now every time I go to the movies, I wear my white headband and keep an eye out for anyone else with a white hat. And if I do see anyone, i'll make sure to smile, and maybe strike up a conversation. Who knows what might happen? WHP did great things for me, maybe I can help someone else!

-girl in the white headband

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----Email Message----
Subject: i tried..
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com

I was home on winter break from college and i thought it would be a good idea to go see a movie with my sister because we don't hang out that often and sisters are suppose to bond. We decided to go see Alpha Dogs, i was really excited because it was a Saturday night and ever since that first postcard was posted and WHP became a blog site i have been a religious reader. each story in itself has inspiration and we are all getting some of it. Anyway, as i was watiing in line i told my sister to keep an eye out for people in white hats or headbands. I told her about the WHP and we both kept our eyes open. We ended up seeing one of my best friends and her boyfriend who were also about to go see a movie, we each went to our different theatres and my sister and i went to the very top row so that we could see EVERYBODY who came into the theater to keep an eye out for white hats. I quickly grabbed my phone and texted my friend "Hey do me a favor and keep an eye out for people who are wearing white hats, and let me know if you see any!" We all had our eyes open but with no luck :-(
I would love to go to the movies with each and every one of you white hatters. Every time i read a story a smile is brought to my face. and as alone as i feel at times i know that there are other people just like me and its comforting to know that i really am not alone. so thank you, each and every one of you
..I hope you all have a SUPER day and remember somebody IS thinking of you somewhere!

Smiling Girl,
Allentown, PA
:-)



----Email Message----
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com
Subject: southeast kansas

I'm making a white hat, but I don't get out to the movies much. I want so much to go make a new friend, but I certainly can't claim to be alone ... married with children. This is why I haven't managed to go out to a movie yet. Judging by the thrill I got when I knew *for certain* that a current postcard on post secret is from my home town, I know I need to get out and connect with more people.

- in the fluffy white hat




----Email Message----
Subject: WHP
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com

I don't own a white hat, but I plan on buying one next time I go shopping.
With college and horrible class times and none of my best friends being here with me, it's hard to find someone that wants to watch the same movie as me.
I can't wait to go to the movies next time with a white hat and I definitely can't wait to share my story when I do.
Thanks for coming up with the White Hat People. It gives me hope.

- Davis, CA [I'll see you there!]



----Email Message----
Subject: Location
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com

Hey! I'm in college so I'm not usually at home, because I go to school 180 miles away. So look for me and my white hat in Newport News Virginia or in Manassas Virginia. I can't really go to the movies 1. because I don't have my own car and 2. I'm a poor college student, but I'll be around campus (CNU) wearing my white hat with the Orioles logo on it and sometimes Patrick Henry Mall so if you see me, smile or say Hi. I'm very friendly and always looking for new friends. WHP is an amazing thing. In our own ways we are all alone, but if everyone is alone, then we are all alone together. That probably doesn't really make any sense, but we are all apart of something huge. Don't be afraid to say hi to me.



----Email Message----
i was supposed to go to the movies withmy best friend today. then i found out shes trying to hook up with the guy that she knows i like. so forget her, i went to the movies by myself. i was in the movie theatre fuming and i realized that i kind of stood up to her because she pulls this kind of stuff all the time. so im proud of myself. really.


i didnt see any other white hat people, unfortunately,
but i would say its been a productive day.




----Email Message----
Subject: Pizza hut
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2007

well, I didn't get to go to the movies, but I did go to Pizza hut for my friend's 16th birthday party, and I wore my white hat.
I didn't see any other white hatters, (the place was nearly empty. Big snowstorm yesterday) but I did see and old friend, who I haven't talked to in years, working there. We're all planning on going back up to hang out with him again soon.



----Email Message----
I went out and bought a white hat on Friday. This weekend, I'm going to use it. I've been going to the movies alone for five years-- since I started college. I've always found it to be relaxing...it started out as a way to get away from annoying roommates, and turned into something theraputic. I would love to see other white hatters out there. I'm in Orange County, CA. I have a friend who lives on the other end of the state, and she's a white hatter, too. We're going to coordinate movie times, so we'll be out there alone, together.



----Email Message----
Subject: White Hats

Thank you for your blog.
I read the secret months ago, but I just now found your sight today,

Thank you. I would like to say that I am brave enough to wear a white
hat, to find someone else who feels alone in the world. But if I am
truely going to be honest, I am terrified to trust anyone. White hat
or not, everyone leaves, leaving me back where I started. But it is
incredibly inspiring to know that one day, when I am ready, there
might be a white hatter out there for me.



----Email Message----
This past saturday was the first time i ventured out to see a movie on my own since the White Hats began. I knew i was going to go sooner or later but it couldnt be just any movie i went to, just for the sake of going. It needed to be a movie that i really wanted to but no one else i knew did. This time there would be no promises made to myself that i'll see it when it comes out on DVD. (I never do). This time there would be no regrets that if only ONE of my friends wasnt busy that weekend, or if only ONE was bored enough to let me convince them to come with me. No this time i would go, without stalling, without any awkwardness or uncessary self consciousness just because i was alone, without any self pity.... And i did!

I didnt have a great morning.I ran a little late getting ready for the movie in the afternoon.I rushed to buy my ticket and then some food to eat in the cinema as i was starving.I didn't see anyone in or outside the cinema other than couples and families with young children.I certainly didn't see anyone in a white hat.

But god it was a beautiful movie. The scenic shots, the plot... Made me stupidly cry more than once. But the amazing thing was that i didn't care. I was alone. I didn't have to worry about how stupid i looked, or what my friends would think/say to me after the movie. I didnt have to worry about how they felt about this movie i forced them to see. I was alone and i was totally, completely and uncompromisingly free!

Sitting there, with a white flower in my hair, i felt so much calm and easiness and confidence. Something i would rarely feel being alone... anywhere, really. But this time i felt it from the moment i started getting ready, from the moment the thought "Im going to that movie today" entered my mind. Because while i was alone in my movie theatre, maybe even in my shopping center. I wasnt alone period. Not really. Not ever. We're never as alone as we feel at times... This place just happens to remind us of that openly and frequently. That maybe there really is "somebody" waiting for us in the rain. :)

Btw, afterwards it being a lovely evening and all i went for a walk. Stopped and had a drink at a nearby hotel/bar. Now i was sure i'd never do that on my own.

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----Email Message----
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: not alone
Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007
I will be there in spirit with you.



----Email Message----
I was listening to some music, and the song "Somebody" by Bonnie McKee came on. I immediately thought of the White Hat People. Find the song on YouTube or just read the lyrics; it really describes WHP, or at least I think it does. =]
And in the beginning she even sings about going to the movies alone!



----Email Message----
Subject: Wichita ks
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com
Hi, are there any white hatters in Wichita? I'm kinda eager to meet someone in this small town.. great idea on the map thingy! And also..Thank You!

-Wichita, ks



----Email Message----
Subject: Thanks
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007
I have always felt alone growing up. I think it maybe deals with the fact that i enjoy things that none of my friends are interested in. I have never really had people to relate too and thats what i love about postsecret. I relate to so many of those postcards and i dont feel so alone as i read them. Well, when i first heard about the WHP i was really excited. Something about it inspired me and i didnt feel so alone anymore knowing that there were others like me. Ever since that first saturday i have been planning to go to the movies alone with a white hat. And, every saturday since then my friends have wanted me to hang out with them. Then it hit me that im not as alone as i thought i was. It was such a great feeling to finally realize that and it probably would have taken me a while to figure it out without the WHP. So this saturday im going to a theatre in Eagan, MN alone with a white hat. But i just wanted to say thank you so much for helping me realize that I'm not alone and i have been crazy this whole time thinking i was. So thank you.



----Email Message----
girl in herndon va,


i live there too. i don’t have a white hat yet, but i will soon.


maybe one day i’ll see you at the theater.



----Email Message----
I don't have a White Hat; but I do have a black one & from now until it gets
too warm; every weekend I'll try my best to wear it out & around Belfast centre. So say hey if you see me =)




::::Hey there White Hatters, the volume of emails coming in is down this week so if you have a story or message to send in now is a great time. :) -Becky

Hello everybody.
Here's something new for us to try. If you're interested in seeing a map of the locations of other white hatters click here . This is a frappr map, it allows people to put a 'pin' on the map to mark their location. Any one who would like can add themselves can do so, but you don't have to if you don't want to. Please remember, don't put any personal information (like your actual address, etc.) on the map. The frappr map had been suggested by a number of people, so we'll give it a try and see how it works out.
-Becky

Check out these folks wearing their white hats. (and a couple of white hats) :) Didn't get your picture in yet? Don't worry you can still send it in for the next pic post!

::::Still hoping to get some more pictures of white hats and the people who wear them. All the pictures sent in by Sunday will be posted in one big block on Monday. -Becky :)
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----Email Message----
Subject: not alone
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com

one of my close friends introduced me to the white hat movement and postsecret. i read the emails and just howled. i have felt alone for so long, especially now, because i'm in love with my best friend, and they are in love with me, but we are both married and the time has long passed and, barring some miracle, i will never be with the one i love. it makes me feel so, so alone.

but next saturday, i am going to the movies in a white hat. i will be alone, but in reality, i will be a part of all of you out there, sitting in the darkness in your hat, just one of the stars of this beautiful constellation.

thank you.



----Email Message---
My 18th birthday is coming up this month, and none of my "friends" (some of whom I have known since we were 12) invited me to their 18th birthday parties. So instead of throwing a party, I think I'm going to buy a white hat and go to the movies, because I would rather treat myself to a movie and possibly meet some new people than throw a party and invite a whole bunch of people to my 18th that didn't want me at theirs.

-liberating myself in Spokane, WA



----Email Message----
Subject: not just saturdays, not just cinemas...

I think I've just ruined my first chance at a relationship in well over a year, I finally caved, fell apart and cried on my bed. When I returned from the bathroom to wash my face, I smiled my white hat was on the corner of my bed. So now I'm typing this, teary eyed, wearing my white hat and feeling a little less alone. K, in the north west UK.



----Email Message----
Subject: my first.
Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2007

this saturday (december 30th) i went to the movie theatre for the first time in about 5 months. i borrowed a white beret from a friend and saw blood diamond with my boyfriend and my best friend, who wore a white headband for lack of a white hat. we didn't see any other white hat people there but the excitement of the possibility, the message of the film, and the company made the evening enjoyable, anyway.
as a freshmen in college, i have had to make a lot of adjustments this year and i have yet to really find my niche at school. i plan to wear a white hat around campus from now on, in hopes that someone else, who feels the
same, might see it, understand the significance, and find solace or, perhaps, a new friend.
-ohio.



----Email Message---
Subject: where do all the londoners go?
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com

Hi, I'm a Dutch girl currently living in London. I
was just wondering which cinemas the whitehatters of
London go to. You might spot me at the Odeon in
Richmond. Ciao!



----Email Message----
and i plan to go to the movie
with my white hat
not neccesarily alone,
with my bestfriend/love interest
and maybe something will happen.

i mean, whp is magical
so maybe it will rub off.
:]
im excited for tommorowwwww.



----Email Message----
Subject: whitehatter and lover of postsecret
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2006

I apologize for not emailing Frank at PostSecret directly, because I do not have his email. And, I apologize for repeating the same things you have heard a million times. But I can not thank PostSecret enough for all that it does.

It is awesome to think that such a simple idea and small actions could bring so many people together and and make a positive difference.

Horrible actions manifest our everyday lives and it is rejuvenating to find a group with good intentions. It's a breath of fresh air in our often polluted world. We feel we are missing something, like something is wrong with us and we are completely alone. Then, when we find a group like this we hold on tight because this is what a positive influence feels like. It gives us hope in the human race again, and it is truly beneficial in our therapeutic realization that we are not alone. We are together in our feelings, reactions, and secrets.

Just as one anonymously admits a PostSecret, others are anonymously reading with compassion and empathy. In this situation both sides gain. The seed of PostSecret has grown into a steady tree which can only grow further affecting all those who see it or touch it.

I can't get enough of the value that encompasses PostSecret, it is addicting in a favorable way.

TheWhiteHatPeople is a definite bonus and an extremely meaningful branch off of PostSecret. I plan on looking for a white hat of my own, while also searching for the courage to wear it (maybe even by myself!) to a movie theater in NC.

Keep being awesome

::::Happy New Year!

----Email Message----
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com
Subject: tonight

I went to see a movie tonight with a friend, but I made sure to look out for anyone in a white hat. I saw about four or five people, some who were by themselves and some who were with others. I'm not sure if they knew about WHP, but I made a point to smile at them, just in case. Normally I would hardly even glance at the people that I'm in the theater with, but the start of the White Hat People has really made me pay more attention to those around me. I think this could really help bring more people together....

- Baltimore, MD



----Email Message----
Subject: New Mexico
Date: Tue, 02 Jan 2007

I go to college in Santa Fe NM and am back home on Cape Cod (massachusetts) for winter break. Maybe when I get back we'll someday spot eachother in a theatre.




----Email Message----
Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006

This movement is the most beautiful thing I've come across in a long time. I read the site today and apart from smiling at the pure beauty of it, I literally squeeled with excitment twice! Firstly because I saw that someone was from Chester. I'm from (very near) Chester. Secondly because someone signed off "PUNK CABARET is FREEDOM". Punk Cabaret IS Freedom.
You're bringing people together. I may not know these people. I may never meet them. But I know they're there and I know that they're sharing this and I want them to know that I'm here sharing this too.
Thankyou.

- a (hopefully) future Dirty Business Brigader in Chester.



----Email Message----
Subject: St. Charles, IL
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com

In my family it's kinda a tradition to go to the movies on new years eve, and so the whole week i've been trying to find a white hat to wear. A few days after christmas i relized that my aunt had given me a pair of white gloves, a scarf and a hat!
I ran up the stairs into my room to find the set(the second winter set i had gotten). i found it and...no hat! it was just gloves and a scarf. needless to say i was very sad.

I got home yesterday from my friends and i see my sis at the computer...with the cutest whiter hat i've ever seen! i'm gunna try and persuade her to let me where it tonight, but if she won't hopefully someone will see her and say something and i can step in!

I'll be watching tonight!
~love from the girl with her fam in St. Charles, IL



----Email Message----
Subject: white hats....

I sent in a message before and when i saw it was up i went and cried.
but then i realized that its ok, and wearing my white headband made me
feel less alone. so now i wear it whenever i feel alone no matter where
i go. to the person in fairfax,va- i'm in herndon, va. so maybe i'll se
you at a theater, i haven't seen anyone else yet either, but maybe i'll
see you! [thanks so much becky!!!]
-herndon, va.



----Email Message----
Subject: White headband
To: thewhitehatpeople@yahoo.com

I'm going to get a whiteheadband :) And wear it when I feel alone.
It'll remind me there are other people out there, and that we have no need
to feel alone, we are all with each other.
a girl in the UK, missing home.



----Email Message----
Subject: Plans

I'm going to tell my best friend about WHP. Both of us aren't really popular at school and usually spend weekends with each other or alone. Reaching out to somebody else will make us feel better, or at least being a part of something like WHP will make us feel a bit better when we go to the movies and see other people with their huge groups of friends and girlfriends and boyfriends together.