Jury Duty

I had to go to Jury Duty yesterday, what an experience. If you have never been I’ll explain as best I can. I was in the room with 120 people. Occasionally, like every 3 hours, they would call out 30 names and those people would go to a trial and then from 30 they picked 12 people to actually sit and stay for that trail. I was one of the first "lucky" 30 people called. I went to a trail where the woman was raped. My heart dropped and I was unsure if I would be able to sit any longer. The lawyers got to ask you some personal questions to see if you would help their case or not. If they didn’t want you to be a part of the trail they would dismiss you. I was never dismissed but I ended up not having to stay and Jury. I was there from 7:30am - 3:30pm. Long day!

I was very observant yesterday and looking at all the people I was around. It is crazy that you have so many people in a room and so many different backgrounds. Every person in that room has a past and story. You cannot tell what might be unless they tell you. When I was in the court about the women being abused, like five women from my room had to come forth and tell the lawyer that they had been abused. If I had looked at those women just passing them by I would never have thought or known that they carry just a burden. It was also strange to me to be in a room with a criminal. In a room of 120 people I am sure there were some people that had broken the law but you don't know that. So actually sitting face to face in a room with someone that hurt another human being in such a way just creped me out. Now of course he is innocent before proven guilty, but it still didn’t settle well with me. I will not be called again for another two years and that is perfectly fine with me!