Give Me 5 for Friday: 5 Great Things About Jury Duty

This past Monday I had jury duty.



Most people get annoyed when they have jury duty.  I get it.  We all have lives, jobs, things to do, people to see.  The last thing most people want to do is to sit in a jury room ALL DAY LONG.

But sitting in that room on Monday, I realized that jury duty isn't too bad.  At all.  In fact, it was pretty glorious.

I'll tell you why.

1.  You can't bring in your phone.
While I LOVE my iPhone (and I pretty sure I am slightly addicted to it), it was freeing to leave it behind.  There was no texting, checking emails, or Facebooking.  Nothing.  And it was wonderful.

2.  Kids don't have jury duty.
That's right.  No kids in sight.  Not my kids...not other people's kids.  Just 217 adults.  216 other people that didn't need me for a thing.  I didn't have to get snacks, wipe bottoms, break up fights, or watch Disney Jr. 

3.  I could read.  Without interruption.
Oh, how I read.  I read like I was 26 again (coincidentally, my oldest daughter was born just a month shy of my 27th birthday).  I read more than half of a 389 page novel.

4.  I drank my coffee without reheating it.
I drank a whole thermos of coffee that morning without reheating it one time.  Not once.  As a matter if fact, it was still warm when I took the last sip as I pulled into the parking garage at the courthouse.  If I could have taken it into jury duty with me, I would have brought a whole back up thermos...just so I could sit and read and drink coffee and feel like an adult.

5.  We got "breaks".
Like a whole 20 minute mid morning break.  Of course all I did was go get a Diet Coke and read some more.  But it was like the world was my oyster.  I could have taken a walk.  I could have gotten a coffee.  I could have conquered the world in those damn 20 minutes.  That's how it felt.

My only complaint is that we were released at 1:10 pm and my alone time was cut short.  I was looking forward to at least a good 8 hours.  So as people all around me breathed a big sigh of relief and happily walked out of that court house, a little part of me wanted to smack the grins right off of their faces.

And I'm sure the lady sitting next to me thought I was a little crazy when I said I wished I could sign up for jury duty every week.

But then she looked at me, smiled, and said "I thought the same thing when my kids were little".

What about you?  How do you feel about jury duty?