Faceplant BLOG

As I lay in Savasana after beach yoga, I became aware of the intention of resting the body and quieting the mind to allow spirit to shine. I contemplated the many blessings of my life; to live near a beautiful beach on the Gulf of Mexico, to have a healthy and happy family who loves me and a job and friends that fill me with joy. It wasn’t always like this, and I mean that on two levels. I didn’t always live near a beautiful beach nor did I have a family, friends and job to complete the picture. More importantly though, I didn’t feel the gratitude necessary to appreciate it if I had it.

I’ve come to see this as the real chicken and egg conundrum. What comes first? The blessings or the gratitude? And the answer is “YES”. Did you think it was an either/or question? It wasn’t. The answer for me is “YES” because it’s about saying YES to life repeatedly even when it doesn’t feel quite right. It’s about day to day acceptance and appreciation of what is. If we can at first simply accept things that may feel not quite right, we will eventually see the blessings that came with an outcome that we thought should have been different. Acceptance highlights the blessings, which turns into gratitude. Gratitude breaks down walls of resistance with which we surround ourselves and allows more blessings to come into our lives. A simple “YES” is the answer.

An analogous sentiment is found in the serenity prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. In Savasana we seek that same serenity by setting aside our physical and emotional bodies and inviting spirit and wisdom to flow through us.

Time of quiet repose allows us to be present. Simple gratitude for the present moment opens us to receiving.  Whether we call it Prayer, Savasansa, Meditation or just quiet repose, we all need to give ourselves time and space to find tranquility and peace. The word we use to describe that time doesn’t matter. Repose by any other name is still Repose.

May your day be filled with the freedom to find moments of quiet repose. May your gratitude grow. May your blessings be many.

Our choice to dedicate 5% of footsies profits to Academy Prep is rooted deep in our history. Faceplants’ humble beginnings were officially in our garage in 2008, but the root of our success began many years before that. We weren’t born with “silver spoons”. Our humble upbringing often limited access to things that cost money, but our parents made many sacrifices to ensure that a strong education was never one of them. With high school educations themselves, they wisely choose a dilapidated old farmhouse in the top-performing school district over a crisp new city house when the 4 of us were young.  My dad worked in a factory and often had 1 or 2 other jobs to make ends meet but still renovated the house himself in his ‘spare time’. It took blood, sweat and tears, to build the home from barely live-able to enviable, but it was always the gathering place for family and friends.

Throughout those years, the privilege of a strong education for their children was the fuel that drove my parents. They taught us the importance and the value of education for ourselves and those around us.

My husband’s story is different, but similar enough, that we share the absolute commitment to education. We believe it is at the core of success for both an individual and a community. That’s why we support Academy Prep of Tampa. Your purchase of footsies is a constant feed to the support of Academy Prep and we dedicate at least 5% of footsie profits annually. They’re kind enough to include us in several events and outings throughout the year and at their annual Fundraiser recently, with your support, we raised our hands even higher to support education. “Winning” the auction item was fun. But the true joy is in knowing that your support, our support, is a true WIN for the kids in our community.

I’m a homebody. Not an “I spend the occasional Friday-night-at-home” kind of homebody. I’m committed to homebody-ing as my favorite pastime. It’s right up there with dawdling and lollygagging.  When I learn that the rest of the family all has plans on a particular night, I manage to eek out the obligatory, “I’m going to be so lonely without you guys” while simultaneously doing my happy dance on the inside. They know me well enough and immediately forgive the white lie.

And this is where “what I do for work” flows beautifully with “what I do for fun”.  Most of what we design and make at Faceplant is a somewhat selfish endeavor. I enjoy our products every day, but when I’m home alone, it’s a full-on Faceplant extravaganza. Not that homebody-ing has to be planned to the minute, and it’s a lot better if it isn’t, but I have a pretty consistent schedule that goes something like this:

• Throw on Capris and the Relax Tank as soon as I get home.
• Give the dog her evening walk immediately after dinner.
• Heat up a hot/cold Lavender pillow and put it beneath the blankets for warm toes while I read for 2 to 8 hours. (I was a confirmed as a book junky in the 3^rd grade when I opted to skip recess and work as a library volunteer instead.)
• Ahhh… the bubble bath. A well-deserved respite after a lengthy novel.
• Proceed immediately to the Luxe Robe and my favorite footsies for drying, teeth brushing and general ablutions.
• Move back to the bedroom and the boyfriend nightshirt.
• Affix pre-warmed lavender flax sleep mask and Faceplant into my favorite pillowcase.

Although I appreciate live music, gatherings of friends and fabulous restaurants, there’s nothing better to me than a homebody evening. At Faceplant, we’re constantly working to create more fabulous goodies to enhance my homebody-ing experience… errr.. I mean YOUR homebody-ing experience. What makes your night-at-home special? Is there anything we can offer that would make it just a little more cozy? I’m afraid I might be missing an important step and we’d love to hear how YOU homebody!

Sweet Dreams Always,

I surrendered my cat-lady dreams in order to run Faceplant Dreams (and maintain my marriage and family!) They say when you surrender is when the magic happens, and in surrendering, I found the true crazy cat lady and hired her! Our artist Anna (and her husband) are the saviors of stray cats everywhere and take care of up to 25 strays at any given time. She is a selfless, kind and generous protector of finicky felines and even prepares homemade cat foods to keep them healthy. The best thing about having Anna around is that it makes the rest of us crazy cat ladies look sane by comparison!

 

Our cats don’t come to work with us, but like loyal subjects to their royal eminence, we pay tribute to them through our cat-loving themed products.  In honor of our feline friends and all the amazingly crazy cat ladies we know, we’re celebrating Decem-purr.

Sweet Dreams Always!

Thanksgiving is a time to feel gratitude for both life’s blessing and for the lessons we learn from its’ challenges. The past few years have been particularly challenging in my personal life. I stood by bravely with my Mom as Alzheimer’s slowly consumed her. Trying to be 100% available to her, left little energy, compassion or time for work, family or for myself. After she passed, I quickly recovered more time in my days. We’ve enjoyed long weekends with family at the beach and on the boat. I’m doing more yoga, more meditation and enjoying morning walks along the bay. With more time, I’ve been able to refocus on Faceplant. We’ve taken business trips in which we’ve discovered some pretty cool stuff to bring to the brand next year. With friends, we raised over $5,000 in the Walk to end Alzheimer’s. This all feels good. I feel more energized. I feel more love and compassion for myself and the world.

But in a weird way, I feel a little guilty for feeling happy, like I don’t miss her enough, and I wonder why. And the answer came in my dream last night…

This Thanksgiving will be my first without my Mom. I had to catch my breath as I wrote those words. But if I trust my Mom’s message, I know that she remains with me, her loving breath still flowing through me as we breathe in and out together.

 In honor of Thanksgiving, may we all find the blessings amidst life’s challenges. May we forgive, cherish and share the blessings. May we all breathe in love, Breathe out gratitude. 

Happy Thanksgiving.