Jury Summons and Relief
I was notified to serve my responsibility for jury duty. This was new for me and my first time ever. So, I crafted lots of ideas on how I would answer probing questions about my personal beliefs. Because I thought that was the type of questions asked before you get the green light to sit in the powerful jury box.
I was not very happy with our legal system. In my experience with depositions and court appearances, the system I imagined and the system I experienced was unlike one another. As a result, I was angry and disappointed with the courts in general.
But from the time I received the notice to the actual morning of appearing in the courthouse, life had happened. New changes in daily activity in both my business and in my personal life. From summons to the courthouse, I had changed because real life, living, changes us.
After a few weeks went by, it was too much effort to float up the past anger. Too much wasted energy. Too much bringing back the past.
I arrived at the 8:00am hour at the courthouse and walked through security and up the stairs. I entered the waiting room for jurors. I immediately appreciated the clean carpet and padded chairs until the thought passed my mind of the need for padded chairs because the wait time was so long. Not so pleased now.
There were around fifty other adults in the room. Most on their phones, me, reading a book, all listening for further directions from the court.
I felt committed to sitting for jury duty while at the same time I knew I would be relieved if I was not selected. Gone was any thought of wanting an attorney audience to voice past history.
And then surprise! After 55 minutes of waiting, a kind woman’s voice came over the speaker to say that the sitting judge no longer required jurors. Oh, Happy Day!
Smiles were everywhere as we filed out of the room. I guess I was not the only possible juror who had other plans.
As far as the earlier anger and the vital need to tell my story, all gone. When I decided to drop it, it fell. Oh, Happy Day!
