Kindness Continuum — PFP Blog — Power Flower Project

Our empty Partners page is looking a bit sad with all of zero partners listed. This isn't because we are friendless, cold, undesirable kindness fools, destined to trod this journey to bring kindness and compassion to the dark places all by our lonesome (Ohh boy). Truth is, it is intentional. Of course we are looking to add partners both local and afar to join us in our mission and various projects. Remember, we can't go it alone. But we also wanted to take the time to acknowledge those who partnered with us from the start. Those who shined some kindness our way when we weren't sure we were so deserving. Who knows, maybe we'll make this a regular thing indefinitely.

To start, we chose to highlight Ben's Bells and it's founder Jeanette Maré. Check out the intro to Ben's Bells provided on their website...

Learn the inspiration behind Ben's Bells and find out how the organization is sharing the message of kindness. (Video credit: Commotion Studios)

We were fortunate enough to get connected with Jeannette around the time the Power Flower Project was beginning to take shape. Clearly, Ben's Bells is inspiration enough to go outside, get face to face with some humans and pollinate some kindness but Jeannette offered us a wee bit more. She provided us with guidance on how to follow our passion as we looked to dig deeper into the work of kindness. Jeannette cheered us on and gave us hope that our small acts of kindness could have a much bigger impact. This may have been a small thing in her eyes but it was quite meaningful to us as we took the plunge to create the Power Flower Project.

We love what Ben's Bells is doing and hope to find ways to partner with them further in the future. Until then, we will continue to root each other on in spreading kindness in our communities. If you are ever in Tucson, AZ stop by one of their studios and keep an eye out for their "Be Kind" logo, it is quite literally everywhere. Thank you Ben's Bells for intentionally focusing on kindness and educating so many on the impact it can have.

Follow Ben's Bells at:

https://bensbells.org/

Instagram: bensbells

Twitter: @bensbells

https://www.pinterest.com/bensbells/

https://www.youtube.com/user/bensbells

https://www.facebook.com/BensBellsProject

Hi there Power Flower fans, this is Jeremy. That's right, not Corey. It's okay. Don't freak out. Breathe deep. You are still in the right place. For those who don't know me, I'm a part of the Power Flower Project and at times will be contributing to some of the content you find here and on our other social media sites. Oh, well it's a pleasure to meet you too, thanks. You guys are too kind. Okay, glad we have that out of the way. Now, One of the things that you will begin to notice is that we are expanding our content beyond Power Flowering posts. One of these such posts will be to highlight where we are seeing kindness out there in the world. We here at PFP are very aware that we are just a small slice of the greater kindness continuum. There are so many different people spreading love, compassion and kindness, in so many creative ways, that we just have to share some of them with you. So, without further ado.......

Recently I had the opportunity to see the band Cloud Cult for the first time. I'm a sucker for any band who expresses a philosophy through their music. For Cloud Cult they are this wonderful mix of science, spirituality and humanity all wrapped up in quirky chamber rock. If there is any band who is putting out some goodness into this world it is Craig Minowa (lead singer/scientist) and Cloud Cult. I don't know if I have ever experienced such a generous, sweet and kind energy from the stage before. I mean, Craig himself responded to an email I sent to their website regarding content on the band that I could no longer find. He pointed me to the On Being podcast I have attached below, which I highly recommend you give a listen. The Cloud Cult story is so beautifully tragic and if you get the chance to see their documentary, "No one said it would be easy," you wont be disappointed. Like the Power Flower Project much of Cloud Cult's energy and movement began out of a desperate need to heal. Craig and his wife Connie (who paints live during shows) unexpectedly lost their 2 year old son back in 2002. This of course sparked dark times but led to healing and some beautiful music. It has also led to lyrics that at times feels right out of the Power Flower Manifesto (we do not have a manifesto).

Someone tell the devil we don’t need no hell.
We’re all pretty good at beating up ourselves. - No Hell

I’m done being stupid and worried and dramatic, so I lay down my every disguise
So if ever I can’t see the magic around me, please take my hands off my eyes.
I don’t know where we’re from, but we came here to be.
We came here to be courageous. - Through the Ages

We here at PFP clearly love words and find them powerful. (See our unfiltered posts and web pages plastered with words from our supporters). And while so many lyrics and interviews from Craig offer inspiration and connect emotionally as well as philosophically with our mission, I'd like to bring two interview quotes to your attention.

From an NPR story Craig discusses the loss of his son through the understanding of thermodynamics...

To that point, he has his own take on the first law of thermodynamics. "Basically, what it says is that energy cannot be destroyed; it can only be transformed," Minowa says. "So any kind of energy that you put out there never goes away. Everything that we did together, every moment that we had together, everything that he felt and everything that I felt for him still resonates out there in the universe. And I refuse to believe anything less than the idea that I'll somehow be with my son again."

And from the On Being podcast...

There was a fact that I read. All of physical matter, as we know, is made of energy. And all physical matter can be converted back into energy. And it takes a tremendous amount of energy to make the smallest particle of matter. And so in the average human body, there’s 7×10 to the 18th power joules of energy. And that translates into 30 hydrogen bombs. Just this physical body right here, the energy in it, is equivalent to 30 hydrogen bombs I have right now. And that’s my only guarantee. I don’t know about tomorrow, but I have right now, and I’ve got this power. What am I going to do with it?

So as the Power Flower Project starts this new leg of its journey, I can't help but think about all of this energy we have in us. What will we do with it and what kind of energy will we put out into the universe? We want to thank Cloud Cult for being a part of the soundtrack to this experience and we hope that you will join us in putting an energy of kindness out into the universe that never goes away. I can't wait to see what we all do together.

https://www.cloudcult.com/

@cloudcult

@cloud_cult

The band Cloud Cult is hard to categorize — both musically and lyrically — though it's been called an "orchestral indie rock collective." Less in question is the profound and life-giving force of its music. Cloud Cult's trajectory was altered the day its co-founder and singer-songwriter, Craig Minowa, and his wife woke up to find that their two-year-old son had mysteriously died in his sleep. Live from our studios on Loring Park, we explore the art that has emerged ever since — spanning the human experience from the rawest grief to the fiercest hope. See more at http://www.onbeing.org/program/craig-minowa-music-and-the-ritual-of-performance/8584