Our Pink Microwave

When we first moved into our apartment a year ago, we needed to buy a microwave. Upon a quick internet search, I found that an adorable, pastel, retro microwave cost the same as the boxy black ones that I’d had in previous places. The fact that it was infinitely cuter for the same price made that an easy decision. On the “being cute vs being practical” scale, this purchase checked both boxes thoroughly. 

When giving new visitors the home tour, I love pointing out the microwave. But nevertheless, I did notice something a bit into microwave ownership. It takes a little longer. Long forgotten tea that might warm nicely with 10 seconds at my parents house takes about 30 here. Cold soup, even longer. Still very cute. Still mostly practical. I suppose only a little less efficient.

How do we balance the tradeoffs? Inefficiency vs practicality vs something that just brings joy. Sometimes the thing that brings us joy will not be the most efficient. But who said we had to perfectly optimize every moment of Happiness?

Each time I warm up leftovers, it takes me longer than I expect. Yet never once have I regretted purchasing a pastel pink microwave. The joy wins out one hundred fold. 

There are, of course, a million tiny trades we make in our heads each day almost on autopilot. If I do this, I can’t do that. If I don’t do this, will I have space for that? We spend countless hours bartering in our head with our time, our energy, our money.

The one thing we should be slow to trade is our Happiness. 

Were we to get a higher powered microwave, we’d probably save, on average, a couple minutes a day. But were we to get a higher powered microwave, I wouldn’t smile every time I walked into the kitchen. I wouldn’t feel that little glow pointing it out to friends. As silly as it sounds, I would lose some joy. 

And no tradeoff is ever worth it if your joy is at stake.

This week, we invite you to consider what trade offs you’re making—either consciously or subconsciously. How can you reprioritize your Happiness? How can you make joy a guiding principle?