A Day for Truth, Justice and The American Way

Today I had jury duty.  I was hoping to get selected for a jury because I felt it would be much easier than my job has been lately. (Besides the usual chaos in the ER we have an addition under construction with blasting three or four times per day.)  I thought it would be nice to hang out where nobody was crying or screaming and there were no biological odors or overhead pages. Jurors even get guaranteed time for breaks and lunch!  Count me in.  

I was assigned to a criminal case which will last about three weeks.  Seemed like a nice amount of time for a little sabbatical.  We spent few hours with the judge and the lawyers.  We were  instructed regarding procedure then questioned  to determine our experience and possible biases relating to the case.    I was not selected to serve on the jury and I am now excused from jury service for four years in federal court and six years in lesser courts. Today was the first time I made it into an actual courtroom jury box though, if only for a little while.  

I couldn't help thinking that two years ago today's experience would have been very difficult for me to endure.  Before my weight loss surgery the distance I walked from the parking garage would have felt like the Boston Marathon.  I would not have fit comfortably in any of the chairs.  I could not have walked up two flights of stairs from the jury lounge to the courtroom without stopping to catch my breath several times.  I would, as usual back then, have been the fattest person in the room.  

The courthouse environment was bit of a departure from my usual milieu.  There was a little coffee shop/news stand near the jury room.  It was run by a man who was visually impaired.  Customers told him what they were purchasing and how much money they had given him.  He returned the change faster than I could count it.  Surprisingly on display were  some local souvenir items and and some giant candy.  The weirdest was the worlds largest gummi worm!  

The thing was about two feet long.  Makes you wonder about their typical customer base.

I felt a real sense of community today.  There were people from all walks of life.  There was a man who was born and raised in Beijing, China where the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" is non-existent.  The commissioner of jurors told an anecdote about a woman, a naturalized citizen, who wanted very much to serve because in her native tongue there isn't even a word for jury. All verdicts in her birthplace were determined by the monarch or his officers and the accused had no rights to present a defense.  Not everyone is thrilled to get a jury summons.  Most were probably very happy to be excused.  For me, today was a little reminder of how lucky I am to have been born here in the USA.  It isn't a perfect nation but there are a lot of people working to help keep justice for all.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan