Strawberries are amazing things: technically they are not berries at all, but thickened stems, called receptacles. The little bits on the outsides are not actually seeds, but dry fruit (“achene”) that contain their own seeds. And unlike most other fruits, strawberries do not continue to ripen after they are picked.
We are harvesting a lot of strawberries on the farm right now. Some are alluringly big and round. But typically, I find that if you turn them over, you will see they are still white underneath. And the large strawberries that are fully red have often been discovered by other creatures before I pick them. But there are smaller berries, often hidden under the foliage, that are fully ripe, and perfectly sweet.
When I was younger, I had expected my life to be larger, less hidden, more alluring. It turned out much smaller than I imagined. But sweeter, too.