We the Jury Find…A Little Peace of Mind?

Last month, I received the universally dreaded jury summons in the mail. Amidst business startup insanity and an insomnia induced haze, it was the last thing I needed. How could the gods conspire against me like this? After years of working crap jobs and praying for any believable excuse to call in sick, it is only now that I get tapped on the shoulder and handed the ultimate get out of work free card. As the owner and sole full-time employee of a fledgling company, timing really couldn’t have been worse.

I tossed the summons onto an ever growing pile of stuff to avoid and went on about my day secretly hoping that I’d be visited by some sort of civic duty fairy that could wave her wand and POOF, my summons would disappear. Sadly, several fairy free days passed and I began to realize that it was going to take more than wishful thinking to get myself out of this. So, as a last gasp attempt to dodge the bullet, I wrote a weepy request for postponement, taking extra care to trap a single salty little tear in one of the paper folds.

Not a peep from anyone on the receiving end in the days that followed, and so, with a pocket full of quarters and a good book, I boarded a bus at the ungodly hour of 7am and headed into the mouth of hell…or so I thought. Arriving downtown with the other 300 unfortunate souls called to duty that day, I took my seat in what felt like a cross between a doctor’s office and a bus station. Perhaps because there was no way out of it, or because my expectations were so abysmally low, I felt strangely relaxed and calm as I sat there. And as the hours passed, it only got better. I discovered a handful of comfortable reclining positions, grew increasingly invested in my book, eavesdropped on random conversations. The day flew by, and after being politely excused two hours early, I meandered through the business district soaking up the sights and sounds of the city.

The next morning, I actually found myself feeling excited to head back to the courthouse. And it didn’t disappoint. It was another gloriously relaxing day, complete with lots of coffee breaks, a long lunch outside, and early dismissal. In retrospect, I realize that my mind desperately needed a vacation, and it wasn’t particularly discriminating. In desperate times, even a two day stint serving jury duty can be a welcome respite from daily stress and anxiety. And so, it’s possible I was visited by that civic duty fairy, and with the wave of her magic wand, I got the very thing I needed most, a break.

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