Stepping Into The World Of Atticus Finch

Tomorrow will be a first for me.  At this age, imagine yet another first.  I have always heard that when you are young, life is full of firsts.  Your first words, your first steps, your first day of school, your first love, your first job and so on.  Then you reach a point in your life when the firsts yield to the mounting lasts.  The last time you talked to your mom and dad, the last time you saw your friend, the last time you let someone break your heart.

But tomorrow will hold a first and that's exciting.  Tomorrow, I will be interviewed for Jury Duty.  Now before  you start laughing, let me tell you that I have waited all my life to be called.  I even went out and voted in hopes it would boost my chances of being called.  I renewed my license when required, doubling my chances to be called for this prestigious civic duty.

A month ago, I had just been saying that I had never been called for Jury Duty.  That very day, the summons came in the mail.  I can't begin to tell you how excited I was.  Finally, my chance to participate in this judicial system that is a thread in the American fabric.  Love it or hate it, going to court is what separates us from other cultures that often resort to chopping off hands and fingers in order to seek justice.

Since My Town is small and not much has been happening except a massive wildfire, I don't expect this to be the crime of the century.  But it won't matter.  I am excited to experience it.  I don't even have to be picked for the jury to claim tomorrow as a great day.  It is a first, one of my few first left. 

I will not lie, I have entertained visions of being sequestered while serving on a jury for some complex trial.With work, kids and animals all needing my attention, I would think of this sequestering as a vacation and I would be just fine if it ran on for weeks.  Not a chance that I will have that opportunity tomorrow but oh, I can dream.

I spent this evening thinking of objective responses to questions posed by people from the legal field.  Since I am an objective person, this was not at all difficult.  Honestly, you would think I was studying for my SAT.  But, this is my chance to see the judicial system from a vantage point so long denied me.  Never before have I been questioned as a potential juror.  Never before have I sat in a room with lawyers.  I find it all simply fascinating.

I know that when I emerge on the other side of this process, I will probably return to my world of work, kids and animals unchanged.  But the memories are what count.  It's the first that counts.

And that puts a smile on my face.