Unless...

 

And all that the Lorax left here in this mess
was a small pile of rocks, with one word...
"UNLESS."
Whatever that meant, well, I just couldn't guess.

That was long, long ago.
But each day since that day
I've sat here and worried and worried away.
Through the years, while my buildings have fallen apart,
I've worried about it with all of my heart.
"But now," says the Once-ler, "Now that you're here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
 

UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not.

"SO... Catch!" calls the Once-ler. He lets something fall.
"It's a Truffula Seed. It's the last one of all!
You're in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds.
And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs.
Plant a new Truffula.Treat it with care.
Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.
Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.
Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back."

I took this picture in the Botanical Gardens in Balboa Park. I'm not exactly sure what plant these seed pods are from but when I saw them I thought, "Oh my heck, I found the Truffula seeds!" I love these little pink seeds. I love how furry they are. I love how the pods are a little yellow. I love how the background is black. I love, love, LOVE everything about it.

The thing that I love the most about it is that it reminds me that like the Lorax says, "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." In the past few weeks I have been noticing the small things that people do to show they care 'a whole awful lot' and it really does change things. When people are dedicated to doing their best in whatever it is they are doing then others get caught up in that enthusiasm. I was walking along the sidewalk and noticed the mason had stamped their emblem into it, which once was a common sight but is becoming less and less so. I them mused to myself that to mark a tiny sidewalk with your company's emblem then your company must have taken pride in the work that went into that sidewalk, even though it was only one house long in a janky part of town. To see others taking care and pride in the smallest parts of their jobs makes me want to take more care in my job, my relationships, my hobbies. As some of you know, I am quite impulsive and sometimes I want to hurry through life instead of slowing down and doing things correctly. I need to take time to treasure the little things, be more careful in my speech to my students, and slow down instead of rushing through discussions and decisions. 

Here are the technical aspects: Canon Digital SLR with macro lens. Touch-up was done with Adobe Lightroom 3, I darked the contrast, lightened part of the stem that was in dark shadow, and made the pinks a little more saturated. I think if I were to do it again I would darken the front seed pod's colors a little more...my skills with free-handing the contrast levels are basic...working towards mastery.