I’m not that person who has it all together. Most days I’m working off three to-do lists: one written today with the new things I need to accomplish, and the others that were composed yesterday and the day before but still have a few items to be crossed off. The lists reside, somewhat crumpled, in my purse. Unless I leave them in the car. Or on the kitchen counter. Or in my briefcase. Or on my desk.

Today’s list was ambitious. I took time off work to accompany our youngest to her two-day college orientation. We didn’t need to leave until 11, so I got up at 6:30 hoping to squeeze in a grocery run, take our oldest to her first physical therapy session, and maybe even crank out a blog post before getting on the road.

The morning started with the usual what-to-wear-when-I-hate-how-fat-I’ve-gotten routine, combined with other practical considerations such as comfortable shoes and lightweight clothing for the campus tour, as well as a non-binding waistband and a sweater for long hours sitting in an over-air-conditioned auditorium. I settled on a little stretch skirt that’s more comfortable than any of my now-tight shorts, a solid T-shirt to camouflage my muffin top, a sweater wrapped around my waist, and sandals with decent arch support.

I headed to the grocery store, which was blissfully under-populated at 7:30 on a Tuesday. As I paid  for my purchases, it occurred to me that at that very moment I seemed to actually be on top of things.

My hair and makeup were still fresh. My outfit kind of had that next-stop-country-club-for-lunch look. I’d  finally remembered to bring the coupons I’d bought from some little leaguers AND my reusable groceries bags. My recent attempts to eat a little healthier resulted in a conveyer belt loaded with fresh produce, organic dairy alternatives, raw nuts, and other wise choices. As I packed the politically-correct groceries into the eco-friendly bags, I couldn’t help but wonder if the cashier or the young disheveled couple next in line hated me just a tiny bit for appearing to be that woman who has it all together.

I was pondering this as I loaded the groceries into my modest-but-newish car boasting decals from our daughters’ universities. I was having deep thoughts about perception versus reality when a can of Endust– that must have escaped from a box hauled home from the office yesterday–tumbled out of the trunk, onto the parking lot, and then rolled behind my rear tire.

I awkwardly squatted and bent and even did the splits a little bit in my country club skirt, trying to retrieve the Endust without exposing private parts or getting asphalt stains on my knees. A man leaving the lot drove up and stopped to watch the show. He smiled and let out a pure, hardy laugh. Once he saw my fingers wrapped around the can, he pulled away grinning and shaking his head. I’d made his day simply by NOT really being that woman who has it all together.

While it feels good every once in a while to look and feel like I have everything under control, making a stranger laugh may end up being my greatest accomplishment today. And it wasn’t even on my list.