Choices

Last weekend my husband and I spent our second overnight getaway ever since we had kids.  This time we just booked a chic hotel downtown with a deal I saw online several months ago.

We were going to keep things simple - after all, all we wanted was to just relax and take things easy.

So we thought.

But in a matter of only 4 hours I started noticing how 'complicated' our 'simple' life have gotten.  It was interesting the things I 'noticed' once we left my comfortable, convenient and conventional suburban life and neighbourhood:

Parking - once in the underground parking, you have to really know how the 'system' works.  Park by the machine, click on the button, take the ticket, the garage door opens and drive into it.  Then read all the signs of all the options as to where one direction will take you as opposed to the other, and try to figure out where is the closest spot by the hotel elevator.  Read your ticket to see if you leave it on your dashboard or take it with you.  Once you check in, make sure they validate it or else you won't be able to get out of the garage.

The Room - The room was a very nice and contemporary room.  What astonished me was the huge closet and bathroom.  Do people actually bring that many clothes to a hotel???  There were lights even underneath the sink!  I looked at the light switch - there were 3 there - "Light", "Fan" and "Floor heating". ... Yes, you heard it right, apparently the marble floor heats up.  And there was a tub and a shower.  As if that was not enough, the shower slot had not one but two shower heads!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the nice marble heated floor bathroom - and I really don't think there was anything 'wrong' in staying in such a nice hotel...but read on...I'll get to my point soon.

The Amenities - We don't only need soap.  There was hand soap and bath soap AND body wash.  All three things serving the same purpose.  Wow.  Which one should I choose?!

The Movies - We headed out to the closest movie theatre.  And once we got there looking totally like Asian tourists with map on hand, it showed we had not been at the movies for a long time:

• Tickets - there is not one but TWO ways you can get your ticket - t those kiosks and going the old fashioned way.  (If you count buying online that makes 3 and buying through your apps that makes 4!).  Honestly, the rows and rows of ticket machines intimidated me (remember, we wanted to have a 'simple' getaway!) so we just lined up like the good old days and waited for a nice smiley gal to greet us and get us the tickets.
• AV what? - Before we could get the tickets, though, we had to figure out what to get.  That seemed more complicated than ordering take out.  Don't you just go and say "two tickets please!?"  What is the difference between IMAX, 3D, and ahem...UltraAVX!?!  I didn't even bother asking...just get the cheapest one.  Of course, let's not forget that we needed to choose which movie to watch too, of the more than 10 movies available.
• Scene what? - When we paid the lady asked us if we had scene something.  Scene what?  Oh, apparently you can get this card to collect points.  Ah, no...I guess we don't have that.
• Regular is not so regular - we thought ordering 'regular' popcorn and drinks would be simple enough...but we discovered 'regular' meant a gigantic bucket of popcorn.  Since when did regular mean giant?
• Drinks - we were given an empty cup to fill the drink of our choice.  Ah, simple enough....right? Nice that you can choose your own?  Not really....We paid, with our 'regular' bucket of popcorn and empty cup and proceeded to look for the soda fountain.  Looked and looked.  Could not see anything resembling a soda fountain.  Finally gave up and asked the staff.  We were pointed to what looked to us like an endless row of vending machines.
• Soda Machines in 2012 - Since when did soda fountains get so complicated?  We looked first at the rows of machines, then Stephen and I looked at each other, laughed and proceeded to figure things out - Place the cup where it should go, tap on the screen and choose what you want.  Ah, we assured ourselves...not hard....Clicked "Diet Coke"....What?  more choices...about 8 more choices popped out...Vanilla, Cherry and other flavours came out.  I think we were more shocked from the huge number of options than anything and told each other "click go back".  Ok, we are back to the first screen.  Just click "Coke" - there should be but only one Coke, right?  Wrong again!  Finally, we got some REGULAR Coke....phew.
• Apps - we thought that was the end of our movie adventure, the chairs in the theatre looked regular enough, we sat down and relaxed and readied ourselves for the movie only to find that now the lady on the screen was telling me to download an app for my phone to 'play a game'.  What?  I'm here to watch a movie.  Apparently it's another 'interactive' thing movie goers can engage in before the movie.  Stephen and I laughed at one another.

All this in just the first 4 hours of our 24 hour getaway - I did not even tell you about the numerous choices related to food afterwards!

My point?  Partly, I guess I really don't have a 'point' - I just thought it was a funny and interesting experience.  

But as I thought of it more.....I realized this was a very vivid reminder, for me at least, of the array of mundane choices I am faced every day, and the overabundance we live with here in North America.  I know we talk about it all the time but over the span of about 4 hours I really felt it, sensed it, touched it and saw it.  

If someone from another country and culture were to come and experience what I did, what would they think?  Some might simply be overwhelmed.  Others might find it interesting but I bet some might simply think we are nuts - why oh why would we 'need' or even 'want' so many choices?  Why does our culture have this compulsion to think "more is better", that more movie options, more seating options, more soda options, and even more soap options is "better" ... what part of it makes it "better"?  Why do we think more choices give us more freedom?  Does it?  

I don't want to sound cynical but going downtown that weekend, as a suburban mom, was an eye opening experience and a reminder from God of my life here.  I may be in this world but not of this world...but I still have to make soap choices when I go to a hotel, or movie and popcorn choices when I go to the movies.  There is nothing wrong with needing to make those choices, I think...the reminder for me:  just be AWARE of the choices you are given and the culture you are in.  Don't let it drag you into believing more is better, or that ALL your daily choices are so important after all.

Yes, I make a lot of choices every day, and yes, many are important choices like choosing to talk with my kid and to listen to them as opposed to shunning them and just getting them to comply, or, choosing to apologize to my husband when I used him to release frustration - but let's not kid ourselves, sometimes the choices we are given are so silly we don't recognize them until we are taken out of our contexts and we see it through the mirrors of a stranger/foreigner.  Going downtown was just enough to get us to perceive the silliness of some of the choices we make here in our culture.

But I must admit - recognizing the silliness gave us reason to also chuckle and laugh during our getaway.

How about you?  When was the last time you were taken outside your comfort, convenient and conventional life?  Did you notice anything around you?  Did you notice anything about you?