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Speaker 1: Hello, friends, Welcome to Story Behind podcast. This is the

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Speaker 1: show for people who love hearing a good story and

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Speaker 1: who believe the world could use more positivity. We're the

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Speaker 1: team behind God Updates and God Too, and we hope

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Speaker 1: these weekly short stories will brighten your day.

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Speaker 2: Twenty six year old swept out to sea, then his

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Speaker 2: friend's quick thinking changed everything. Written by MICHAELA. Godonni, read

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Speaker 2: by Jully Provost. It all began as just a fun

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Speaker 2: night surf before a man had to save his friend

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Speaker 2: who was swept at to sea. The twenty six year

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Speaker 2: old was knocked off his board by strong waves. Here

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Speaker 2: Haskell's speech in California. His quick thinking friend saved his

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Speaker 2: life while the unnamed surfer was being pulled out by

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Speaker 2: a current. Back on shore, his friend noticed his surfboard

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Speaker 2: had washed up. Immediately called nine one one reported him

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Speaker 2: missing at sea. It was nighttime, so the surfer's danger

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Speaker 2: was increased with limited visitibility. Visuals soon arrived infrared drones

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Speaker 2: at the ready. With the drones, they located the man

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Speaker 2: about a quarter of a mile out from the shore.

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Speaker 2: Then they guided rescue swimmers to his location using a floodlight.

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Speaker 2: They found the surfer waiting for help, hanging onto a

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Speaker 2: lobster trap boy, which he was fortunate to have found.

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Speaker 2: They had him cling to a line boy and towed

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Speaker 2: him back to shore. The whole rescue took thirty minutes.

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Speaker 2: Once back on land, that surfer was safe and sound

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Speaker 2: with no injuries. He didn't need any medical attention. The

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Speaker 2: Santa Barbara County Fire Department gave thanks to the quick

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Speaker 2: thinking friend as well as the dedicated firefighters and the

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Speaker 2: life saving the drone technology. It comes in handy on

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Speaker 2: night calls obviously, but even just mountain rescues, trail rescues,

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Speaker 2: and ocean rescues as well. Santa Barbara County Fire spokesperson

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Speaker 2: Mike Gray said, at the infrared camera, surfer was able

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Speaker 2: to make it back home safely, added the department. It

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Speaker 2: added a warning to others do not go into the

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Speaker 2: ocean alone in rough conditions. It matters thank god that

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Speaker 2: the young man's friend was watching out for him. If

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Speaker 2: he hadn't noticed the board that washed up and quickly

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Speaker 2: called for help, his friend's life could have been at

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Speaker 2: greater risk. This goes to show that it's important to

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Speaker 2: assess when and where you serve and always have someone

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Speaker 2: with you in case things goes sow. On Random Acts

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Speaker 2: of Kindness Day, Flores leaves flowers around the city for

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Speaker 2: strangers to find. Written by Heather Wriggleman Red Buduy Provost.

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Speaker 2: On a Random Act of Kindness Day, Flores leaves flowers

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Speaker 2: all around the city for strangers to find. Some mornings

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Speaker 2: begin like any other, errands to run, heavy thoughts, to

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Speaker 2: carry hearts, quietly, asking for something beautiful to break through

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Speaker 2: the ordinary. And then sometimes kindness blooms where no one

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Speaker 2: expects it, as the streets of Dairy Fell, little softer,

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Speaker 2: a little brighter. Small bouquets begin appearing in unexpected places

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Speaker 2: outside the library, near familiar murals, resting quietly along the

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Speaker 2: sidewalks where hurried footsteps usually pass without noticing. Paul didn't

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Speaker 2: set out to make headlines. He simply wanted to leave

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Speaker 2: reminders that someone cared. With gentle hands and a hopeful heart.

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Speaker 2: He and his team created dozens of petite arrangements and

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Speaker 2: scattered them throughout the city like seas of joy. Each

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Speaker 2: bouquet waited patiently for a stranger, someone who might be tired,

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Speaker 2: someone who might be celebrating, someone who simply needed to

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Speaker 2: feel seen for a moment, Simply book kept the flowers

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Speaker 2: stuck close, carrying them unexpected gift home like a whisper

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Speaker 2: of light. Others passed them forward, placing them into new

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Speaker 2: hands and continuing a kindness chain that felt almost sacred

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Speaker 2: in its simplicity. And isn't that the way kindness works?

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Speaker 2: One small offering becomes a cripple, then another, until an

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Speaker 2: entire community begins to soften. John Paul also handed bouquets

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Speaker 2: directly to passer by, including a visiting couple who had

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Speaker 2: arrived from Terry after a difficult journey. The flowers became

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Speaker 2: more than petals and stems. They became a gentle welcome,

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Speaker 2: a reminder that even unfamiliar places can feel warm when

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Speaker 2: compassion shows up first. Later that day, one of the

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Speaker 2: bouquets found its way into a cafe, where staff chose

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Speaker 2: not to keep it, but to give it to someone else.

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Speaker 2: The gesture moved quietly from person to person, proof the

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Speaker 2: kindness rarely stops where it begins. There is something deeply

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Speaker 2: healing about flowers. How they blow him without striving, How

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Speaker 2: they remind us that beauty can grow even in cold seasons,

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Speaker 2: and Maybe that's why this simple agg touched so many

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Speaker 2: hearts and a world that moves fast and often feels heavy.

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Speaker 2: Someone paused long enough to scatter joy like confetti across

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Speaker 2: the city. It wasn't about grand gestures of perfect moments.

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Speaker 2: Was about leaving a trace of hope wherever footsteps might fall,

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Speaker 2: and somewhere someone walking through darry that day found an

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Speaker 2: okay waiting just for them, a soft, unexpected reminder that

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Speaker 2: even strangers can carry light into another's lives. Because sometimes

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Speaker 2: the sweetest miracles arrived quietly, wrapped in paper, tied with ribbin,

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Speaker 2: and placed gently in the path of someone who needed

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Speaker 2: beauty more than they knew. Let us not love with

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Speaker 2: words or speech, but with actions and in truth First.

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Speaker 2: John three point eighteen.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening to Story Behind podcast.

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Speaker 1: We're really glad you joined us for this week's story.

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Speaker 1: To see photos and videos that may have been referenced

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Speaker 1: in this episode, check out the links and the show notes,

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Speaker 1: and if you enjoyed what you heard today, subscribe to

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Speaker 1: our podcast and please tell a friend about us. We'd

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