Toothbrushes and Pandora's box

In this day and age what used to be simple tasks are made so much harder, thanks to several dozen options that could be "perfect" for you in varying degrees.

Example: purchasing a new toothbrush.

I was grocery shopping today and planned to pick up a new toothbrush too, since oral health and well-being is kind of a good thing to keep up. I ran down the toothbrush/toothpaste/mouthwash aisle and planned to grab the first toothbrush that looked decent.

But no!

First I encountered the flimsy store brand toothbrushes. Nah, I thought; I can do better. Then I looked over at the highly overpriced multicolored gel-handled toothbrushes with several dentists' stars of approval.

Meh... I didn't want to pay $20 for a mere toothbrush. I have student loans.

I scanned the rows of bristled plastic sticks and pondered what my options were.

There were the clever double-packs; I mean, brushing your teeth is a lifelong commitment. But what if you don't like that type of toothbrush in the pack, and you're stuck with a second miserable toothbrush once you're through with the first?

Then there are the different levels of bristle toughness. There's hard, medium, soft, and now, extra-soft! My dentist has told me that I have more sensitive teeth, and so I was advised to get soft bristles. But could it be possible that my teeth would benefit even more from extra-soft? Hm.

Then you've got the tongue-scraper additions, and the ones with rubber stuff distributed among the toothbrush to make your teethbrushing experience even more efficient.

And what about getting a toothbrush brand that matches your favorite toothpaste brand? Then they'd match!

"Pandora" by J.W. Waterhouse

Don't get me started on the electric toothbrushes. I didn't even bother there.

In the end, I ended up with a colorful, soft-bristled toothbrush from some reputable toothbrush brand, and hope that it was a good choice.

But that's the problem with this culture of multiple options. As I type this, I'm listening to Pandora. I am a big fan of Pandora, and I've encountered a lot of fun new music that I'd never have found elsewhere.

But Pandora also suffers from the same problem. You have the ability to skip a song five times within the hour, but after that you're stuck with whatever the station plays. You can create however many stations based on your favorite artists, music styles or even a specific song, but how do you limit yourself?

I heard Bastille's "Pompeii" on Pandora first, and thoroughly enjoyed it. So I "liked" it. Then Pandora began eagerly offering me other Bastille songs, which I wasn't as big on. I just skipped another Bastille song a moment ago, which went to U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

Heh heh. No, really.

The story of Pandora (the character in the myth) was a lesson not to be too curious. Also, maybe we should be satisfied with what we have, and realize that nothing's going to be absolutely perfect on this side of heaven.