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Moonlight in a Cup: The Guaraní Legend of Yerba Mate · Faithfully Explore!

0:00
Laura: Imagine sitting in a circle with people you love.
0:03
Laura: In the center is a small cup filled with green leaves.
0:07
Laura: Someone carefully pours in water, takes a sip through a special straw, and passes the cup to the next person.
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Laura: Sip, refill, pass.
0:20
Laura: Sip, refill, pass.
0:22
Laura: The cup travels slowly around the circle.
0:25
Laura: This is mate, a drink made from the leaves of the yerba mate plant.
0:30
Laura: But how did this special plant become connected with friendship?
0:35
Laura: A Guarani story says its journey began with the moon, the cloud, and one very brave act of kindness.
0:44
Laura: Hi, explorers.
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Laura: I'm Laura, and this is Faithfully Explore, the show where we discover stories, cultures, beliefs, and the big ideas from around the world.
0:55
Laura: When I say faithfully, you say explore.
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Laura: Faithfully.
1:00
Doug: Explore!
1:01
Laura: One more time.
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Laura: Faithfully.
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Doug: Explore!
1:05
Faithfully Explore! Intro: Faithfully Explore!
1:06
Faithfully Explore! Intro: is the name.
1:09
Faithfully Explore! Intro: Learning together is our aim.
1:13
Faithfully Explore! Intro: Beliefs around the globe we'll track, filling up our Belief Backpack.
1:21
Laura: Before we begin, let's learn a little bit about the people who have carried this story, the Guarani The Guarani are indigenous peoples whose homelands stretch across parts of the South American countries we now call Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and
1:39
Laura: Bolivia.
1:40
Laura: And the Guarani are not people who exist only in stories.
1:44
Laura: Guarani communities are living today.
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Laura: Guarani is also one of the official languages of Paraguay, spoken by millions of people.
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Laura: The Guarani word ka'a means herb or yerba.
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Laura: It is also used for the plant we call yerba mate.
2:03
Laura: Like many traditional stories shared aloud for generations, there are different versions of the legend you are about to hear.
2:12
Laura: In this telling, the story begins high above the forest with two curious visitors, Jasy, the moon, and Arai the cloud.
2:25
Laura: Every night, Jasy sailed across the sky.
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Laura: Her silver light gleamed upon rivers.
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Laura: It touched the highest branches of the trees and painted bright paths across the forest canopy.
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Laura: From the sky, the land below looked like a great green blanket.
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Jasy: So much of the forest is hidden beneath those leaves.
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Laura: Jasy said one evening.
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Jasy: I can see the tops of the trees, but I cannot see what grows beneath them.
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Jasy: I want to walk beside the river.
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Jasy: I want to smell the flowers.
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Jasy: I want to hear the forest from inside the forest
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Laura: Arai drifted close, soft and pale against the evening sky.
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Arai: Then let us go together
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Laura: Said Arai.
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Laura: Jasy and Arai floated down from the heavens.
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Laura: As they reached the Earth, they took the form of two human travelers.
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Laura: For the first time, their feet touched the forest floor.
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Laura: The ground felt cool beneath them.
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Laura: Ferns brushed against their legs.
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Laura: Bright winged butterflies fluttered between shafts of sunlight.
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Laura: Jasy bent to admire a tiny flower growing beside the path.
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Jasy: From the sky.
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Jasy: I never knew it was here?
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Laura: She whispered.
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Laura: Arai dipped a hand into a clear stream.
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Arai: From the sky, I never knew the water felt like this
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Laura: They walked farther.
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Laura: A woodpecker knocked against a tree.
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Laura: Monkeys called from the branches, leaves crunched under their feet.
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Laura: The forest was so full of colors, sounds, and surprises that Jasy and Arai did not notice the afternoon slipping away.
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Laura: They also did not notice two golden eyes watching from behind the leaves.
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Laura: The yaguaraté, a jaguar, crouched low to the ground.
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Laura: The jaguar was powerful and nearly silent.
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Laura: Its spotted coat blended into the shadows beneath the trees.
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Laura: One paw moved forward, then another.
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Laura: Jasy stopped.
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Jasy: Did you hear that?
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Laura: Arai listened.
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Laura: A branch cracked.
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Laura: The jaguar stepped onto the path.
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Laura: Jasy and Arai froze.
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Laura: In the sky, they had powers of the moon and cloud, but here on Earth, in the form of human travelers, they could not simply shine or float away.
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Laura: The jaguar lowered its body, ready to spring.
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Laura: Then, an arrow flew through the air.
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Laura: It struck a tree beside the jaguar.
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Laura: A hunter burst through the brush, calling and stamping his feet,
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Hunter: go.
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Laura: Startled by the sudden sound, the jaguar turned.
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Laura: With one powerful leap, it disappeared between the trees.
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The
5:39
Laura: hunter kept his bow ready until he was certain the jaguar had gone.
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Laura: Then he turned to the two travelers.
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Hunter: Are you hurt?
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Laura: He asked.
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Laura: Jasy shook her head.
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Jasy: No, you protected us
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Laura: The hunter lowered his bow.
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Laura: He did not ask where they had come from.
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Laura: He did not demand a reward.
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Laura: He had seen two strangers in danger, and he had chosen to help.
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Hunter: The forest will soon be dark.
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Laura: He said.
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Hunter: You should not walk alone.
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Hunter: My home is nearby.
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Hunter: You may rest there tonight
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Laura: Jasy and Arai followed him through the trees.
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Laura: His home was simple, but they were warmly welcomed.
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Laura: Food was shared.
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Laura: A place was prepared for them to sleep, and the small fire was kept burning while night settled over the forest.
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Laura: Jasy looked around the little home.
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Laura: The hunter and his family did not have piles of treasures to give their guests, yet they shared what they had.
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Jasy: He protected us
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Laura: Jasy whispered to Arai.
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Arai: And now they have welcomed us.
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Laura: Arai replied.
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Jasy: We must remember this
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Laura: The next morning, Jasy and Arai thanked the family and continued down the path.
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Laura: As soon as the trees hid them from view, their human forms began to glow.
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Laura: Arai rose as a ribbon of cloud.
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Laura: Jasy rose as a circle of silver light.
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Laura: Together, they returned to the sky.
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Laura: That night, the hunter rested in his hammock beneath the moonlight.
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Laura: As he slept, he dreamed.
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Laura: In his dream, the two travelers stood before him again, but now he saw who they truly were.
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Laura: Arai seemed to be wrapped in mist.
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Laura: Jasy shone as brightly as the full moon.
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Jasy: We are Jasy and Arai.
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Laura: The moon told him.
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Jasy: You protected two strangers without knowing who we were.
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Jasy: You offered kindness without asking what you would receive in return
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Laura: Arai stretched out a hand.
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Laura: A gentle rain began to fall across the dark soil.
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Laura: Jasy's silver light followed the raindrops.
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Jasy: Tomorrow,
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Laura: Jasy said.
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Jasy: You will find a new plant growing near your home.
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Jasy: Its name will be Kaa.
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Laura: Its leaves appeared in the hunter's dream, smooth, green, and shining beneath the moon.
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Jasy: Gather its leaves with care,
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Laura: Jasy continued.
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Jasy: dry them and prepare them with water.
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Jasy: Place the drink in a cup and share it with others
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Hunter: Why must it be shared?
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Laura: The hunter asked.
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Arai: Because this is not a gift meant to be locked away
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Laura: Said Arai.
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Jasy: It is a gift for welcome,
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Laura: Said Jasy.
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Jasy: a gift to be enjoyed when people gather.
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Jasy: As the cup travels from one person to another, may friendship travel with it.
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Laura: The hunter looked at the plant once more, then he woke.
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Laura: Sunlight streamed between the trees.
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Laura: For a moment, he wondered if the dream had been real.
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Laura: Then he stepped outside.
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Laura: There growing near his home were plants he had never seen before.
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Laura: They had dark green leaves and tiny pale flowers.
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Laura: The hunter called his family together.
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Laura: They gathered some of the leaves.
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Laura: They prepared them as Jasy had shown him and placed them inside a small hollowed gourd.
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Laura: Water was poured over the leaves.
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Laura: The hunter tasted the drink through a slender straw.
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Laura: It was fresh, earthy, and a little bitter.
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Laura: He poured in more water and handed the cup to the next person.
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Laura: Sip, refill, pass.
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Laura: Sip, refill, pass.
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Laura: Soon neighbors joined them.
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Laura: Stories were told.
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Laura: News was exchanged.
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Laura: Someone laughed.
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Laura: Someone listened.
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Laura: No one hurried away.
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Laura: The hunter looked down at the little cup.
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Laura: Jasy's gift had done exactly what she had promised.
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Laura: It had given people a reason to sit together.
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Laura: People continue to drink yerba mate across South America today.
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Laura: It may be prepared hot as mate or cold as tereré.
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Laura: Leaves are placed in a special cup, and the drink is often sipped through a filtered straw called a bombilla.
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Laura: In Paraguay, terere may also be prepared with pohanina, plants and herbs connected with generations of traditional knowledge.
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Laura: Preparing and sharing it can be an important part of daily life.
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Laura: People gather with it.
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Laura: They talk over it.
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Laura: They welcome guests with it.
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Laura: They carry their cups with them while working, traveling, relaxing, or spending time with friends.
11:03
Laura: Not every family prepares or shares yerba mate in exactly the same way.
11:09
Laura: Traditions change from place to place and from one household to another.
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Laura: But the heart of the old story can still be felt each time someone makes room in the circle and offers the cup to another person.
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Laura: What's inside our belief backpack this week?
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Laura: The plant was Jasy and Araki's way of saying thank you.
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Laura: But once it was shared, their thank you became a welcome for someone else.
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Laura: And that gives us something special for our Belief Backpacks.
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Laura: Friendship grows when kindness is passed.
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Laura: The hunter protected two strangers.
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Laura: Jasy and Araki remembered his kindness.
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Laura: Then they turned their gratitude into something a whole community could share.
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Laura: You don't need a special plant or cup to continue that circle.
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Laura: You can listen to another person's story.
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Laura: You can make room for someone who feels left out.
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Laura: You can give someone a compliment you really mean.
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Laura: Kindness does not have to stop with the person who first receives it.
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Laura: It can travel from hand to hand, person to person, just like a cup moving around a circle.
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Laura: Sip, refill, pass.
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Laura: And perhaps on the next bright night, you can look up at the moon and remember the Guarani story of Jasy and Arai, the brave hunter, and the gift that brought people together.
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Laura: A little green leaf, a circle of friends, and moonlight in a cup.
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Laura: Until next time, this has been Laura from Faithfully Explore.
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Laura: Stay curious, stay kind, and keep faithfully exploring that wonderful world around you.
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Faithfully Explore! Outro: Faithfully Explore!
13:07
Faithfully Explore! Outro: is about you.
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Faithfully Explore! Outro: Let's grow kinder together it's true!