_{A garden in our vicinity—I never tire of watching these beautiful fruit trees.}

These mango trees are not ours— per se.
But we witness their bloom.
We witness their fruit.
And kudos to whoever planted them, honestly.
They bring joy to us all, even if they’re not ours per se.

Now, my thoughts… you know how they drift. All directions, this time, toward fairness. Or the lack of it.

(Brace yourself, this is one of those posts.)

There’s this blogger I know I am aware of...
They’ve got the support of a well-respected, esteemed Steemian. A developer, no less.
And honestly? No issue with that.
Fine. We all have our people. Our supporters. Our favourites, per se.

That’s human.

_{One of the three mango trees in our own home in the backyard/ sideyard?}

But what bugs me is how the curators behave.
A very ordinary diary (not that I have an issue with ordinary) by the said person gets picked up—not by one, but by two different curator team members.
Along with the regular support ...
What kind of message does that send?

Since the blogger can then pick their posts in their very own curation system, maybe they could return the favour by featuring one in their 'Pick of the Day'? Who knows...

And look — I’m someone who’s a friend’s person.
I will support my friends, no matter what.
But support doesn’t mean blind votes.
If the content is good, I’ll engage, I’ll show up, I’ll vote — consistently, even.

If you want support in return, fine.
Networking is a thing. I get it.

But once I’m in a curator’s shoes, I believe my voting should come with far more care and conscience.

This kind of networking? Really? And the comments on their post? Not an ounce of sincerity, genuine engagement, or honesty —just pure boot-licking behavior!

When it's nothing more than that: a favor for a favor, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. And I suspect in many other mouths too!!! The insincerity is hard to miss!

_{Ever heard of scoring? It helps the tree bear fruit—just look at those fresh new leaves!}

No, I’m not jealous — far from it. I would never want that kind of preferential treatment for myself.

I’m here for the thrill of creating, for the joy of connecting — and yes, votes are a welcome bonus.
So what’s it about then? My favourite word: balance.
It’s about balance.

About wanting this place to remain a space of authenticity.

Where mango trees, even if not ours per se, still feel like they belong to all.

_{Not every tree bore fruit this year (e.g; the one doodled in the background), but most of them did and that’s enough joy for now.}