Jury Duty. It's Fun.

Someone once told me during a discussion that there is 3 sides to every story. There is yours, mine and the truth. That's stuck with me all of these years, because the statement is so accurate in my eyes. We feel we're telling the truth but sometimes what we see is altered as we're not really seeing the whole entire picture, only from our point of view.

I was lucky and chosen for Jury Duty last week. 8 Years ago I had gone but then dismissed when they were selecting the Jurors due to one of my answers. I was heartbroken as that was something I really wanted to do. Perhaps, it's because I'm a Law&Order nut.. perhaps? I have always, though, genuinely wanted to be on a Jury. To see how the system works and be apart of it. I've thought so many times what if someone I loved was in court. I'd feel comforted knowing there was someone open minded on the sidelines.

Back to my story. Last Tuesday I went and I was selected. It was on a Civil Trial but it last 3 days. I loved every moment of it. Also, it's over so I can finally talk about it (per the Judge). I saw first hand what I was once told. There are 3 sides to every story. In this case there was about 4 sides + the truth. What was the truth? I couldn't really tell you as there were so many unasked questions. But with all of the evidence we went over during deliberation it was amazing at how many additional facts came out that didn't during the trial.

I learned a lot from this experience. It was so interesting to be inside the court room and listen as people told their stories. It was also pretty odd to see grown adults getting caught in lies on the stand. As they do in the movies. Most of all I think about how this trial was meant to be. I spent 4 days in total with 7 other individuals that were on the Jury with me. They all came from different areas, backgrounds and truly inspiring in their own way. I felt like they were family immediately and apart of me knows I'll probably never run into them again throughout the remainder of my life. However, we were all brought together even just for a few days to be apart of one another's lives. I love that. This whole experience was life changing for me.

So in conclusion to this picture-less post. If you ever receive your summons in the mail to go to Jury Duty don't get disgusted or try to think of a way out of it. Pray that you get selected, because you'll take so much back from the experience, I promise you. Stay open minded from the being until the end. As with life, we need to do that everyday.