“Did you ever see this,” says my wife, holding up a can that should be full of ginger ale but is instead only full of air.

“Everybody messes up sometimes. Even the machines,” I tell her.

Then I go off on an examination of the can itself to try to see if the soda all leaked out of the side, and choose not to tell her about how that somebody else got a flimsy from being soaked and then air-dried cardboard container, while the rats at the facility probably had a field day with that treat, except I only think it but don’t say it because there really is no sign of the can puncturing.

It looks like they really did just miss filling it and sealed some air.

So now I’m thinking about the canned air in Space Balls and that’s always better than thinking about rats hanging out on your soda cans.

But the real reminder here is everybody messes up sometimes.

Even the machines.

Mistakes make the world go-round.

Nothing is perfect, everything is flawed, and you don’t know what happens next.

The impossibility of perfect, even on heavily tested and refined soda can filling lines, is all you need to know.

You have permission to be imperfect. It’s actually demanded of you. Just like it’s demanded of everyone else.

Improvise with what you’ve got.

Take every reminder of that you can get along the way.

It’s either as horrifying as rats on your soda cans or it’s as exhilarating as remembering everyone and everything is making up what happens next as they go along.