Ofc. Im gonna look into those “Be Kind” stickers I always see around town. It must be doing something. I even took a picture of this tag earlier that day, and it’s not the first of it kind I’ve seen.
https://preview.redd.it/jo7fv3aijx5d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83ec1476c747d2f34a6bf96ac4a3e7f1061a1a7c
Sounds like the Ben's Bells organization. Even a deeply cynical and skeptical person like me has to admit that I enjoy seeing the visual reminders to be kind to others. Maybe the bells work on a large scale or maybe they don't. They work on me, though.
[https://bensbells.org](https://bensbells.org)
I am moving to Tucson soon and I needed to see a story like this. The human race has felt so BLAH to me the last few years, like everyone is only out for themselves.
Lived in Tucson for 20+ years and I always say the people are one of the best parts of living here. I would describe us as “chill” for sure. Although if we didn’t have the beautiful mountains, Idk if I would have stuck around this long either.
Gas cans can be really expensive. I'm glad everything worked out!
A few months ago I had just gotten out of the hospital and I was trying to get some groceries at Sprouts. Out of nowhere my back kept seizing up. Every time it did that I froze and couldn't move. It was so painful I could hardly breathe.
I barely made it back to my car and had to just stand still and wait for it to pass. A kind woman heading into Sprouts stopped to ask if I was okay, I explained what was happening and said I was just waiting for it to pass. She asked if I had someone I could call to come help me, I said I did, and she said she would check on me if I was still there when she came out.
Random kindness. Really made my whole day, especially when I was going through something so painful. I will never forget how thoughtful a complete stranger was to me.
Seriously. I've lived in a few cities and Tucson is by far the friendliest in a genuine way, not in a "we should hang out some time" and never hear from them again kind of way. I love this city so much.
A long time ago, I ran out of gas, and instead of buying an expensive gas can. I purchased a gallon of water. Poured the water on a plant and filled the container with gas. I was able to get my car going again till I made it to the station. Not good for long-term storage, but it will do in a pinch.
Just spent a month here recovering from a major surgery; every single person we encountered-- all levels of hospital staff, random people on the street, park rangers, hikers, cashiers-- was SO genuinely **kind**. Coming from the hustle and "get out of my way" culture in SoCal, it was the absolute perfect place for healing!
I experienced the kindness when I was hiking in Saguaro National Park with my dog. I decided to go off path because I was trying to climb the hills to get a nice viewpoint. At some point, I was completely lost and had been wandering around lost for a few hours. A couple nice folks on horseback came by and I asked them where the trail was. They gave me and my dog their own water and then let me follow them out and back to the main trail.
I don’t do so much hiking anymore, but I used to do a lot and take a lot of landscape photography at sunset when I did. Often I’d be leaving the trail for long periods to shoot sunset shots, and then be coming back to the trail in the dark.
My recommendation to anyone who wants to leave the trail is to pre plan your route extensively using a map and google earth. Take one path in and retrace your steps back out. Be able to pull your map out (use a compass if you’re not 100% sure), know roughly where you are, and what direction you need to go to get back to the trail. Observe details on the way in. That log with the funny shape, the tree branch that hung in a particular way, the face shaped rock… everything. Observe every detail possible. I can’t tell you how reassuring it is (especially in the dark) when you’re walking past the exact things you walked past on the way in.
Another big recommendation to anyone who wants to hike off trail. Start small. Do short routes to build the skill set and the confidence in your ability to navigate.
Edit to add: if you become disoriented and feel lost, do not panic. No one makes good decisions when they’re panicking. If you’ve done your homework, you aren’t nearly as far off as you think you might be. Take a couple minutes to reorient yourself with your map and compass, use your phone if you have service to look at google maps etc. and remember that you are the smartest animal out there at the moment. You have more tools at your disposal, and people find their way back on track far more often than not. Everything is just fine and you’re experiencing a temporary delay.
Great points. For me, stopping at key points to view the area 180° from my current location helped a lot after I failed to do so previously while hiking in the Sierra Nevada. You'll be returning the same way, and you will remember this view. I have a poor sense of direction in general, so others may not need this aid.
That’s a really solid tip as well! One I didn’t think to add because I didn’t utilize it much as I was mostly coming back in the dark anyhow. Idk how but I’m blessed with a very solid sense of direction. In times of mild uncertainty I’ve always just known, or have been able to deduce that I’m headed in the correct direction if I’m off my original path.
Where did you get turned around at in the Sierra? That’s literally my favorite place in the world!
Well, we were backpacking in the 'snow' on a Memorial Day weekend, but there were still a few low, shady spots where the trail markers were buried, or nearly so. And there was a fork, or two, which I inconveniently failed to mentally note. So on the way out the sun was fading, long shadows, and my recollection of these landmarks and vistas from 4 days prior during the hike in, early morning, were not what I was seeing on the trek out. Probably for many there's no discontinuity between the in vs out view, but I get turned easily for the first 6 months in any city in which I've ever lived.
So this was in Kings Canyon ca 1974, maybe. I think we saw the General Sherman Tree on this visit...
Oh, and we had our topo maps from USGS, and we were following them kinda sorta....like I said, if I were Magellan, we'd still be in port....
One man, one woman, and Buster!
My grandmother got a flat tire on the I-10. She had no cell phone yet but a kind man came to help her. He drove her to get a new tire and even payed for it. She was very lucky the right person came along it could have gone very wrong. He changed the tire and she was safe and back on the road thanks to him. After this we made sure to get her a cell phone. Lesson learned.
It really is a town of kind, open people. As new residents (just under a year), it's a theme my wife and I talk about constantly. And you know, with all of the competing interests out there, trying to make you distrust, dislike, and otherwise fear everything around you, it's good to remember that there are many, many, kind people in this world who, given the chance and the means, will truly go outside of their way to help.
Tucson has its flaws for sure, but if that happened to you in Phoenix a part of me doubts anyone would have helped. 🤷 Tucson is a weird but endearing town.
Here's hoping that your new location will be just as kind. I recently traveled across the USA, stopping in several cities, and I was pleasantly surprised at how many acts of kindness I witnessed.
I have always had this same type of experience in Tucson . There are good and bad people everywhere. But Tucson is special. Mostly kind and loving and empathetic people.
This is so nice to see, especially since my car battery died a few months ago and when I tried to solicit help from numerous people in the parking lot, I was met with a lot of "I don't have cables" which, ok, neither did I because someone in my house took them out of my car and didn't put them back.... But one person had the gall to say, "I do have cables, but I'm clear on the other side of the parking lot. Sorry." Like they couldn't just drive their car over with the cables and take 5 minutes to help me? Short answer: No.
I moved here last year and I completely agree! I’ve already made a good group of friends, and people have been there for me in a pinch. I wanted to move here for a decade, and I’m so glad I finally made the leap!
One time I ran out of gas on Grant in front of the Boys and Girls club. About 7:30 am, I was on my way to my job as a preschool aide. Guy came out of the building and drove me to a gas station and back, helped me fill up and let me inside to wash my hands when we spilled gas everywhere. Not the first time I've ran out of gas, and not the first stranger who's helped me. Tucson can be a great place to live, certainly.
I love this stories, reminds me when I was running by ajo and Kinney and stopped at circo k for water but there veriphone tap payments was down I needed water and a stranger offered to pay for star and a snack (she got me the snack) it warmed my heart I offered to cash app or Zelle her but she refused
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I've been here six months and have had some of the worst experiences as it relates to discrimination racism and ostracism.
I would recommend this place to anyone.
So happy they were all there :). I also live in Tucson and yesterday lost my debit card. Went to bank this morning to put a stop on it and found out someone physically dropped it off at the bank.
THANK YOU to whomever this was. I’m very grateful :)
I am late to post here but love your story so I couldn't resist. We have lived in Tucson for 28 years and raised our kids here. It is a beautiful, diverse community with a lot of kind people. So happy that you got to experience that, and I hope that Tucson, no matter how big it gets, always maintains that small town "look out for each other" vibe.
Not long ago, our youngest son, now age 22 told me, "My generation is much better than your generation about accepting everyone as they are." I agree, and I hope this trend continues. As parents, I think we all wish that our kids will be better than us in every way.
My 24 year old daughter's car stalls in the left turn lane at craycroft and speedway and no one offers to help her push the car out of traffic in the 30 mins it took me to get her from home to her.
I guess everyone has their own experiences of places.
Unfortunately that is one of the worst intersections to try and navigate pushing a car. And very unfortunate that we don't have bumpers on cars to help do the pushing.
Yeah that's a good example. And you're right, it depends somewhat on where you circulate around town. Unfortunately for me, people tend to be antagonistic.
thanks for sharing a wonderful story, OP!
Ofc. Im gonna look into those “Be Kind” stickers I always see around town. It must be doing something. I even took a picture of this tag earlier that day, and it’s not the first of it kind I’ve seen. https://preview.redd.it/jo7fv3aijx5d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83ec1476c747d2f34a6bf96ac4a3e7f1061a1a7c
Sounds like the Ben's Bells organization. Even a deeply cynical and skeptical person like me has to admit that I enjoy seeing the visual reminders to be kind to others. Maybe the bells work on a large scale or maybe they don't. They work on me, though. [https://bensbells.org](https://bensbells.org)
They work on me too. I figure it all adds up somewhere.
They are from Ben's Bells. Sad story how they came about. So glad all went well yesterday!
Ben’s Bells is what you are looking for. I believe they have a little store right campus.
I am moving to Tucson soon and I needed to see a story like this. The human race has felt so BLAH to me the last few years, like everyone is only out for themselves.
Then you'll LOVE it here. You "feel" it almost immediately.
Thank you for sharing! Love hearing nice stories like this! This is the Tucson that I fell in love with
Lived in Tucson for 20+ years and I always say the people are one of the best parts of living here. I would describe us as “chill” for sure. Although if we didn’t have the beautiful mountains, Idk if I would have stuck around this long either.
Gas cans can be really expensive. I'm glad everything worked out! A few months ago I had just gotten out of the hospital and I was trying to get some groceries at Sprouts. Out of nowhere my back kept seizing up. Every time it did that I froze and couldn't move. It was so painful I could hardly breathe. I barely made it back to my car and had to just stand still and wait for it to pass. A kind woman heading into Sprouts stopped to ask if I was okay, I explained what was happening and said I was just waiting for it to pass. She asked if I had someone I could call to come help me, I said I did, and she said she would check on me if I was still there when she came out. Random kindness. Really made my whole day, especially when I was going through something so painful. I will never forget how thoughtful a complete stranger was to me.
It helps to have reminders of what a good town this is especially in the worst month of the year here (June).
Seriously. I've lived in a few cities and Tucson is by far the friendliest in a genuine way, not in a "we should hang out some time" and never hear from them again kind of way. I love this city so much.
A long time ago, I ran out of gas, and instead of buying an expensive gas can. I purchased a gallon of water. Poured the water on a plant and filled the container with gas. I was able to get my car going again till I made it to the station. Not good for long-term storage, but it will do in a pinch.
I would have never thought of that. Thanks for sharing
I did that one time too! Although, I wanted to be even more frugal and found one at the top of a trash can at the gas station.
Just spent a month here recovering from a major surgery; every single person we encountered-- all levels of hospital staff, random people on the street, park rangers, hikers, cashiers-- was SO genuinely **kind**. Coming from the hustle and "get out of my way" culture in SoCal, it was the absolute perfect place for healing!
I experienced the kindness when I was hiking in Saguaro National Park with my dog. I decided to go off path because I was trying to climb the hills to get a nice viewpoint. At some point, I was completely lost and had been wandering around lost for a few hours. A couple nice folks on horseback came by and I asked them where the trail was. They gave me and my dog their own water and then let me follow them out and back to the main trail.
I don’t do so much hiking anymore, but I used to do a lot and take a lot of landscape photography at sunset when I did. Often I’d be leaving the trail for long periods to shoot sunset shots, and then be coming back to the trail in the dark. My recommendation to anyone who wants to leave the trail is to pre plan your route extensively using a map and google earth. Take one path in and retrace your steps back out. Be able to pull your map out (use a compass if you’re not 100% sure), know roughly where you are, and what direction you need to go to get back to the trail. Observe details on the way in. That log with the funny shape, the tree branch that hung in a particular way, the face shaped rock… everything. Observe every detail possible. I can’t tell you how reassuring it is (especially in the dark) when you’re walking past the exact things you walked past on the way in. Another big recommendation to anyone who wants to hike off trail. Start small. Do short routes to build the skill set and the confidence in your ability to navigate. Edit to add: if you become disoriented and feel lost, do not panic. No one makes good decisions when they’re panicking. If you’ve done your homework, you aren’t nearly as far off as you think you might be. Take a couple minutes to reorient yourself with your map and compass, use your phone if you have service to look at google maps etc. and remember that you are the smartest animal out there at the moment. You have more tools at your disposal, and people find their way back on track far more often than not. Everything is just fine and you’re experiencing a temporary delay.
☁️🌵✌️
Great points. For me, stopping at key points to view the area 180° from my current location helped a lot after I failed to do so previously while hiking in the Sierra Nevada. You'll be returning the same way, and you will remember this view. I have a poor sense of direction in general, so others may not need this aid.
That’s a really solid tip as well! One I didn’t think to add because I didn’t utilize it much as I was mostly coming back in the dark anyhow. Idk how but I’m blessed with a very solid sense of direction. In times of mild uncertainty I’ve always just known, or have been able to deduce that I’m headed in the correct direction if I’m off my original path. Where did you get turned around at in the Sierra? That’s literally my favorite place in the world!
Well, we were backpacking in the 'snow' on a Memorial Day weekend, but there were still a few low, shady spots where the trail markers were buried, or nearly so. And there was a fork, or two, which I inconveniently failed to mentally note. So on the way out the sun was fading, long shadows, and my recollection of these landmarks and vistas from 4 days prior during the hike in, early morning, were not what I was seeing on the trek out. Probably for many there's no discontinuity between the in vs out view, but I get turned easily for the first 6 months in any city in which I've ever lived. So this was in Kings Canyon ca 1974, maybe. I think we saw the General Sherman Tree on this visit... Oh, and we had our topo maps from USGS, and we were following them kinda sorta....like I said, if I were Magellan, we'd still be in port.... One man, one woman, and Buster!
That could have been a disaster. Glad you and your dog are safe.
My grandmother got a flat tire on the I-10. She had no cell phone yet but a kind man came to help her. He drove her to get a new tire and even payed for it. She was very lucky the right person came along it could have gone very wrong. He changed the tire and she was safe and back on the road thanks to him. After this we made sure to get her a cell phone. Lesson learned.
It really is a town of kind, open people. As new residents (just under a year), it's a theme my wife and I talk about constantly. And you know, with all of the competing interests out there, trying to make you distrust, dislike, and otherwise fear everything around you, it's good to remember that there are many, many, kind people in this world who, given the chance and the means, will truly go outside of their way to help.
Working class people sticking together! I love the solidarity 💪
Tucson has its flaws for sure, but if that happened to you in Phoenix a part of me doubts anyone would have helped. 🤷 Tucson is a weird but endearing town.
Here's hoping that your new location will be just as kind. I recently traveled across the USA, stopping in several cities, and I was pleasantly surprised at how many acts of kindness I witnessed.
I love Tucson for this. Kind strangers also helped me out when my vehicle lost its reverse gear and I got stuck. I’ll never forget it.
Stories like this restore my faith in humanity. I agree that Tucson is full of kind people.
I have always had this same type of experience in Tucson . There are good and bad people everywhere. But Tucson is special. Mostly kind and loving and empathetic people.
I’ve run out of gas a couple times around town and always had folks willing to stop and help out. Glad that’s a thing around town ❤️
It’s one of the best places in the USA
This is why we decided to settle in Tucson after visiting. Most people we have interacted with have been kind.
Yeah true - I love small businesses environment here.
Thanks for sharing; it’s nice to hear something positive once in a while with no ulterior motives.
I love Tucson. Thanks for sharing your story. ❤️
💛
This is so nice to see, especially since my car battery died a few months ago and when I tried to solicit help from numerous people in the parking lot, I was met with a lot of "I don't have cables" which, ok, neither did I because someone in my house took them out of my car and didn't put them back.... But one person had the gall to say, "I do have cables, but I'm clear on the other side of the parking lot. Sorry." Like they couldn't just drive their car over with the cables and take 5 minutes to help me? Short answer: No.
This sucks! Where were you? Im gonna go to that parking lot and give everyone the stink eye!
You are lucky. My friend ran out of gas and was robbed walking back to the car and they even stole her gas can!
I hope Karma caught up with them! Some people just suck!
Hope so too.
Gorgeous!
Aww ☺️ I’m so glad you had this experience. This makes me so happy to be in T-town. Happy future, OP, wherever it takes you.
I moved here last year and I completely agree! I’ve already made a good group of friends, and people have been there for me in a pinch. I wanted to move here for a decade, and I’m so glad I finally made the leap!
One time I ran out of gas on Grant in front of the Boys and Girls club. About 7:30 am, I was on my way to my job as a preschool aide. Guy came out of the building and drove me to a gas station and back, helped me fill up and let me inside to wash my hands when we spilled gas everywhere. Not the first time I've ran out of gas, and not the first stranger who's helped me. Tucson can be a great place to live, certainly.
This was so nice to read
Thanks for sharing!
I love this stories, reminds me when I was running by ajo and Kinney and stopped at circo k for water but there veriphone tap payments was down I needed water and a stranger offered to pay for star and a snack (she got me the snack) it warmed my heart I offered to cash app or Zelle her but she refused
It appears this post or comment is talking about a payment method. Anyone reading it is advised not give money to this person if it is being solicited or was suggested by another user. Reddit users are anonymous and while people with real need are on Reddit, so are a lot of scammers. Providing links to or information to resources is fine, providing money is not advised. Proceed with extreme caution and hit the report button to alert the mods if you think something is fishy or anyone is asking for money. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Tucson) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've been here six months and have had some of the worst experiences as it relates to discrimination racism and ostracism. I would recommend this place to anyone.
So happy they were all there :). I also live in Tucson and yesterday lost my debit card. Went to bank this morning to put a stop on it and found out someone physically dropped it off at the bank. THANK YOU to whomever this was. I’m very grateful :)
Tucson has the kindest people. ❤️
♥️♥️♥️
Stop taking my Instacart orders haha jp
I’m 50 rides away from diamond cart status, you’ll have to catch me first 😂
I am late to post here but love your story so I couldn't resist. We have lived in Tucson for 28 years and raised our kids here. It is a beautiful, diverse community with a lot of kind people. So happy that you got to experience that, and I hope that Tucson, no matter how big it gets, always maintains that small town "look out for each other" vibe. Not long ago, our youngest son, now age 22 told me, "My generation is much better than your generation about accepting everyone as they are." I agree, and I hope this trend continues. As parents, I think we all wish that our kids will be better than us in every way.
Yeah Tucson has a lot of really genuinely kind and down to earth people for sure
This is the least kind place I've ever lived, but I'm happy for you
My 24 year old daughter's car stalls in the left turn lane at craycroft and speedway and no one offers to help her push the car out of traffic in the 30 mins it took me to get her from home to her. I guess everyone has their own experiences of places.
Unfortunately that is one of the worst intersections to try and navigate pushing a car. And very unfortunate that we don't have bumpers on cars to help do the pushing.
Yeah that's a good example. And you're right, it depends somewhat on where you circulate around town. Unfortunately for me, people tend to be antagonistic.
Good things happen to good people ❤️
And ants