Enemy in a Blueberry

My neighbor, David, invited me to come pick blueberries. He has about 30 blueberry bushes, all under a giant net. The net protects the berries from the birds. Now David tells me about another pest--a fly who lays its eggs in the berries, which creates a dimple. Soon, the blueberry turns to mush.

David has set out small bowls of raspberry vinegar (plus dish soap) to attract the flies, which then perish. He's being assiduous about not leaving a single blueberry on the ground. He tells me that if he finds a dimpled blueberry, he eats it immediately. "I'm eating my enemy," he says. "I'm not sure that's very Buddhist."

Faced with an irritating "enemy," i sometimes try to kill it / them with kindness. "Eating" kindness is much better for my innards than consuming (and being consumed by) retribution or revenge.

David is eating his enemy in a blueberry. It's delicious!