jury duty

jury duty. . . hmmmm. . . got the notice in mail one summer day – knew it couldn’t be for me. . . i have never ever been called up. (side road – i’ve wondered about that. . . like am i on some list somewhere that says “not normal enough?” - ok, don’t answer that. . . but you know what i mean. . . i lived in the same state for 26 years and one county for like 16 years and no court system was ever interested in my services. i figured that i was off limits for some reason. not exactly miffed about that. . . just feeling curiously unwanted.)

0k, i’m no longer feeling unwanted. . . the notice was for me. it asked me to be available for a certain wednesday – less than a week away (side road #2 – only the worst the possible day to be called up, first of the month, inventory, reports. . . etc., etc.,). but good news, i was only a standby juror - so most likely not even going to make the first cut.

i called the night before on my cell phone. (side road #3 - now let me share that my personal cell phone has always been the “freebie” that comes with the plan – actually i have found it is usually last year’s model voted most likely to double as a door stop thereby becoming our provider's give-away-phone. you definitely get exactly what you pay for with quality.) so i called the number and listened and punched in the courthouse code and found out that i didn’t make the first cut – only people with last names starting with the letters H – T had to actually show up.

ok, i admit i was a little disappointed - but hey, at least i got a notice and i made my one phone call.

so i was talking to a friend later that night and i mentioned my near brush with the rite of passage to “juror” and she said that it was a weird alphabetical cut-off and was i sure i heard right???? of course, i heard right and i was off the hook.

but that bugged me – could i have heard wrong??? nah. no way. i heard what i heard.

i got up the next morning and got ready for work and was just about to walk out the door when i decided to go ahead and call from our neglected and soon to be discontinued land line – just in case.

i called, i listened, i punched in, and heard “only people with last names starting with the letters A – T. . ."

ok, so i notified work and took off for the courthouse.

suffice it to say that after watching the very informative film “You, the Juror” and then sitting around for hours and hours and hours watching most people chit chat, make friends, exchange email addresses, eat vending food while i was going back and forth trying to read Steinbeck’s East of Eden or Chesterton’s Orthodoxy – my name was called and i was handed a check for $17 bucks and some change with a seemingly sincere "thank you."

a couple of things here. . .

one, i shouldn’t use my cell phone for important calls – say jury duty or 911 emergencies.

two, theology and literature are not the best choices for reading material while waiting in seclusion. i’m guessing a People/ Rolling Stones magazine or mindless summer beach fiction would have made more sense.

three, there are a lot of people who have not had the good fortune of being notified of their opportunity for civic duty AND there are a lot of folk who have been notified but never made it into one of the twelve chairs. It’s not just my personality or lack thereof. . .

all in all, it was an experience – just that – an experience.

i no longer feel curiously unwanted - and actually, it’s ok with me if i’m overlooked in the future.

and i still have to finish Othodoxy. . . maybe next week’s doctor appointment. . .