Shame, Airports, and the Messy Magic of Being Human

Unpacking Shame in the Middle of an Airport

I’m writing this from the Salt Lake City airport, where I’m in the middle of a long layover. I’ve just wrapped up a business trip with other creative entrepreneurs - people with big hearts and big dreams - and as I wandered slowly from one gate to the next, a word kept floating to the surface of my thoughts: shame.

It started with a quiet voice in my head whispering “you should have taken more notes,” or “you should have made more connections.” That word - should - is such a sneaky companion to shame, isn’t it?

And that got me thinking about all the old stories I carry that still hold shame’s fingerprints.

There’s one from elementary school. I was young, maybe third or fourth grade. I did something careless and unkind to a classmate. I hurt her feelings, and I betrayed her trust. Even though it was decades ago - and I’ve long since apologized - there’s still a tender ache when I revisit that moment. For years, I carried that childhood mistake like a secret scar.

And then there was something I did in my early twenties. Something I won’t name here, not because I’m hiding it, but because the specifics aren’t what matter. What matters is that I did something that felt entirely out of alignment with who I believed I was. I remember waking up the next morning and not recognizing the person in the mirror. That was the moment shame took root.

Nearly forty years later, walking past airport gates with a wheely bag and a warm drink, I find myself asking:
Why do we wrap our mistakes in shame?

Why are we taught to believe that a broken resolution, a failed attempt, or a moment of misjudgment makes us unworthy? When did we decide that imperfection is evidence of being unlovable?

At Ploppals, we believe something different.
We believe in messy moments.
We believe in falling down.
And more importantly—we believe in getting back up and laughing (maybe even a little nervously) as we brush ourselves off.

Mistakes? We don’t see them as character flaws.
We see them as plot twists in your hero’s journey.

What the Science (and Spirit) Say

Brené Brown, whose research on shame has helped reshape the way we talk about vulnerability, writes:

“Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.”

When we label a behavior as bad, we can learn from it.
But when we label ourselves as bad? Shame shuts the door on growth. It isolates us. It tells us we’re broken and unworthy of repair.

Yet as humans, we learn through mistakes. We become through imperfection.

Psychologists have found that shame is linked to increased anxiety, depression, and emotional disconnection. But accountability - which focuses on the action rather than the person - can spark healing and change. The difference matters deeply.

Philosopher Alain de Botton once wrote,

“The difference between hope and despair is a different way of telling stories from the same facts.”

That’s the power we all hold. The power to choose compassion over condemnation. The power to rewrite the story.

The Heart of the Matter

There’s a Ploppal in our Small & Sassy line - a cheerful crochet plush holding a flower. Its affirmation card says:

“Feeling sh*tty? If poop can grow flowers, YOU can do anything.”

That’s the kind of energy we need in this world.
We all mess up. We all say or do things we wish we hadn’t.
But we can choose to turn toward ourselves with gentleness.

Let your shame be compost.
Grow something beautiful from it.

If You Needed This Today…

If you're reading this and your heart feels a little tender, I hope you know you're not alone. We've all got our airport moments. Our ghosts. Our quiet regrets.

And we’re allowed to bring those with us - not as shameful secrets, but as proof that we’re growing.

You’re not a mistake.
You’re a blooming, stumbling, still-learning, still-worthy work of art.

And if you need a silly little reminder?
You know where to find us.

We’ve got a Ploppal with your name on it. 💛

Heather
Founder, Ploppals